The Way We Used To Be
by HotForHaleb
Summary: Life in New York for Hanna and Caleb was not what they imagined it would be. Would they be able to reignite their spark when they head back to Rosewood? Based on the 6B time jump and 6x11. Haleb feat. Spoby
1. Stumble and Fall

**_"Who's moving to New York?"_**

 ** _"We are. If that's still your dream."_**

To say that Hanna's life was not what she expected after high school would be an understatement. When Caleb had offered her a life in New York, away from Rosewood and the drama of –A, she had gladly accepted. Ever since she had fallen madly in love with Caleb, Hanna had pictured what their future would be like. She would get into The Fashion Institute in New York City, then get a killer internship with a top designer, and eventually start her own fashion line. Of course, she and Caleb would be married in the most extravagant wedding ever, and have the most gorgeous children. When they left Rosewood that summer, Hanna was ready to take on the world. Looking back now, she wished she had realized just how naïve she had been. The perfect life that she thought she would have, was starting to crumble beneath her.

Hanna walked down the steps of the East Side studio of top designer Dominic Salcedo, who she was currently interning for. She was totally exhausted, and wanted nothing more than to cuddle with her baby girl – who was waiting at home for her – and then go straight to bed. As she hailed a taxi to take her to back to her and Caleb's Tribeca apartment, she began to wonder what would be awaiting her when she walked through the door. It seemed like lately, all Hanna and Caleb did was fight; that was, of course, if they even had the time to see each other. Between Caleb's long hours at the office and Hanna trying to make her mark on the fashion world, they only just had enough time to make sure that their daughter was taken care of, and then they were off again. Stella Renee Rivers was born not long after Hanna had completed her third year of school; she certainly wasn't planned, but Caleb and Hanna were overjoyed at the newest addition to their family. Hanna had taken a year off of school to take care of Stella, but now that she had started working, Hanna was finding it very difficult to balance her career with motherhood. Caleb had taken to parenting like a pro, and his little girl had him wrapped around her finger. Stella may have looked exactly like a mini Hanna, but her personality, no doubt, was just like her father's.

Hanna was brought out of her thoughts as the car pulled up to her apartment. As she glanced up at the building, she could just make out Caleb's figure in the window, pacing back and forth across the living room. It was just past eight at night, which meant that Caleb was trying to put Stella to bed. The key word was 'trying'. For the past month or so, Stella had been getting increasingly attached to Hanna, and would only go to sleep when her mother would rock her. The terrible twos had definitely begun. Hanna made her way into the apartment to relieve Caleb of the crying toddler – just one look at him and Hanna could tell that he was just as exhausted as she was. Caleb handed Stella to Hanna before he walked back towards the bedroom without muttering a single word.

After half an hour, Hanna had finally gotten Stella to sleep. She made her way back into the living room and began to tidy up the array of baby toys that adorned the main area. When they had first moved into their New York apartment, it had seemed like the perfect size space for a young couple starting their life together. Once they'd added a two-year-old to the mix, the rooms had begun to feel overcrowded. Though, she couldn't blame all the mess on the baby; fashion magazines, fabric swatches, and clothing racks were also scattered throughout the living room. The spare bedroom, which had once been used as Hanna's studio, was now a nursery.

Hanna continued to straighten the room up before she came across an envelope, which she had tucked away on the top row of the bookshelf. The letter had been delivered a few weeks ago, but she had yet to tell Caleb. The return address read _Pennsylvania State Court of Common Pleas_ , and Hanna knew exactly what it was about. The last time that she had spoken to her mother, Ashley had told her that Alison had been petitioning the courts for a while now in an attempt to get Charlotte released. Caleb wasn't exactly shy when it came to his feelings about Alison, and Hanna knew that he would not be pleased to know what Alison was asking of her and the other girls. She couldn't put off telling him any longer though, and had a feeling that this night was not going to end well.

* * *

Caleb stepped out of the shower and wrapped a towel around his waist – he had hoped that the shower would wash away all of the stress from that day. He had already been running on next to no sleep thanks to Stella; she was becoming very independent, and liked to play by her own rules, much like he did. He and Hanna were going to be in big trouble when she became a teenager. Stella's latest endeavor, which accounted for his lack of sleep, was climbing out of her crib every morning. She would make her way into her parent's bedroom, and proceed to wake them up. She was definitely an early bird, another trait that she got from Caleb, yet even he didn't want to be awake at the crack of dawn.

The day had seemed to go even more downhill when he had arrived at work. Once of the main servers in his office had crashed, creating a security breach and causing a major headache. His anticipated lunch plans with Hanna had been foiled by this chaos as well. They had made a promise to each other to meet for lunch at least once a week, just to be able to spend some time together. That proposal had only lasted three weeks before either he or Hanna had constantly ended up having to cancel. By the time he had gotten home that evening, Hanna had already taken off to the fashion show, and he was greeted by their elderly neighbor, Agnes, as he walked through the door. Whenever Hanna and Caleb's schedules happened to overlap, Agnes was always happy to watch Stella until one of them returned. Normally, Stella enjoyed Agnes' company, but today was not one of those days.

By the time Hanna had arrived home that evening, Caleb was surprised that Stella had any tears left to cry. He handed his daughter off to Hanna before he walked into the bedroom. He had learned from past experiences that, on nights like these, it was best to wait for the calm after the storm, or rather Stella, before attempting to start a conversation. Though lately, conversations were being avoided all together. No matter how they started, one way or another, they always ended in a fight; sometimes they would begin over the simplest thing. It's like they were walking around on eggshells, knowing that one of them would soon crack.

Walking out of the bathroom, Caleb found Hanna climbing onto her side of the bed. Attempting to break the silence in the room, Caleb spoke. "Did Bug get to sleep ok?"

Hanna didn't even meet his eyes as she replied, "Do you think I'm incapable of putting our daughter to bed?"

"Hanna, knock it off. You know that's not what I meant," Caleb rolled his eyes.

"Then yes. She went to sleep just fine," She huffed, "Now, can I go to sleep too, or is there something else you need to discuss with me?"

"Just forget it," Caleb sighed as he moved to the other side of their room, before changing out of his towel and into a pair of lounge pants. He glanced over his shoulder, only to notice that Hanna had changed positions, and was now lying on her side with her back to him. How did things get so messed up between the two of them?

He thought for sure that she had fallen sleep until her voice filled the room, "I'm going back to Rosewood tomorrow."

"You know that I can't just take a day off with no notice," He said, facing away from her again.

Hanna sat up hastily, "No Caleb, you're not listening to me. _I_ am going back to Rosewood, and I'm taking Stella with me."

Caleb turned around, a confused look on his face. "So you're just going to take my daughter away from me?"

"Oh don't be so dramatic, it's only for a couple of weeks," Hanna rubbed her forehead, "I've already talked to Dominic and he's letting me take the time off." She handed him the letter so that he could understand why she needed to go.

"How long have you known about this?" Caleb asked, raising his eyebrows.

"The letter came a few weeks ago. With everything going on, I didn't know how to bring it up," Hanna murmured, looking down at her hands.

"So just because Alison says so, you have to drop everything to help her? You guys aren't in high school anymore, Hanna."

"Don't you think I know that, Caleb?" She shot back, pushing herself up off of the bed. There was no way that she was getting to sleep any time soon. "It's not Alison that's summoning us, it's the courts. Do you think I want to go back and face the tormentor that made our lives a living hell for years?"

"Well apparently you think it beats staying here," He scoffed.

"Oh my gosh, Caleb. Can we just stop this for one minute?" She screamed as tears ran down her face, "Do you see what's happening to us right now? We can't even make it one week without trying to rip each other's heads off. We need a break from each other. If we don't take a moment for ourselves, we might as well get used to being apart forever."

Caleb's voice turned quiet all of a sudden, "Is that what you want?"

Hanna honestly didn't know the answer to Caleb's question. And truth be told, Caleb wasn't even sure which answer he wanted to hear. Both of them stood in silence, avoiding each other's gazes. The sound of Stella's cries provided Hanna with the perfect opportunity to end their discussion, at least for the time being.

"I'll go get her. I think it would probably be best if you slept on the couch tonight," She muttered as she exited the room.

* * *

The next day, Hanna was packing her and Stella's bags for their trip back to Rosewood; she was trying to pack as light as possible to avoid the struggle of dealing with a bunch of luggage and a toddler whilst navigating her way through the busy New York train station. Normally, she and Caleb drove down in his Jeep, but since she was traveling alone, she opted to take the train into Philly. She hadn't spoken to Caleb since their spat the night before, and he had already left for work by the time she had woken up. Hanna felt bad for waiting until the last minute to tell him about the letter, but up until a few days ago, she wasn't even sure if she wanted to go back. When she had moved to New York with Caleb, she had thought that she'd left the –A drama behind for good. After the hectic week that they had both had, she knew that the space would be good for her; plus, she really could use a night out with the girls. Sure, she had friends in New York, but none of them knew her as well as the four girls did.

The sound of the taxi horn reminded Hanna that it was time to head out. She walked to the center of the living room to get Stella, who had occupied herself by looking through her animal picture book. Hanna picked up her daughter and placed her on her hip, then grabbed the luggage and Stella's car seat before heading down to the street.

She had just buckled Stella into the back of the car when she heard someone call her name. Hanna turned around to see Caleb jogging towards her.

"I was hoping to make it back here during my lunch break before you left," Caleb reached out and grabbed Hanna's hands, "Look, I am so sorry about last night. I should have never said those things. I was just angry that-"

Hanna pulled her hands away. "Caleb, please don't try to convince me to stay. I told you, this is best for the both of us right now."

"Can I at least take you to the train station?" He pleaded, "It will be a lot easier than taking a taxi."

"No, Caleb. It's easier just to say goodbye here," She shook her head.

"What do you want Hanna?" Caleb sighed – he was starting to find this back-and-forth thing very tiring.

"You know what I want, Caleb," Hanna's voice rose a little, "I want to be in a place where we don't have to ask each other what we want. I want to go back to just, sort of, knowing what the other person wanted."

"Yeah, where was that place exactly?" He scoffed.

"Lady, are we leaving or what?" The cab driver said as he finished loading the luggage, interrupting the couple's conversation.

"Yeah, we're leaving," Hanna confirmed as she turned and walked to the other side of the car, before getting in without looking back at Caleb.

Caleb leaned down to the open door in front of him, where Stella was smiling in her car seat.

"Hey there Bug. You be good for your mommy, ok? And don't let Grandma Ashley spoil you too much," He said as he gave Stella a kiss on her forehead, "I love you princess." Caleb looked up at Hanna, who was clearly avoiding his gaze by staring out the window. "I love you too, Hanna," He sighed as he stood up and closed the taxi door. Caleb watched the vehicle pull away from the curb, leaving him all alone.

Inside the taxi, Hanna wiped away a single tear, which had fallen down her cheek whilst Caleb had been saying goodbye to their daughter. As the car made its way to the train station, Hanna began to doubt whether she would be able to make it through the next few weeks without him.

 **AN:**

 **To the readers -** Thank you for checking out my very first story. I hope to make this a 3 shot so expect more chapter to come. It would mean a lot to me if you left a review of what you though. And if you haven't checked out any of the stories from my ladies below, make sure to head over to their profile and review their stories at well. You won't be disappoint.

I want to give a huge shout to Jen (hannnarivers) for being an awesome beta and for encouraging me to write this story.

Shout also to my girls - Katja (zippizappi), Kat (Halebxxx), Jane (Janethewriter1), Marion, and Sam. You guys have been such an inspiration to me and have been there for me at all times of the night to help me when I got stuck. I love you all 3


	2. Distance Apart

After a seemingly endless two-hour train ride, Hanna couldn't have been more grateful that the journey had come to an end. She made a mental note to herself to never take a tired toddler alone on a train again. She had hoped that, after having her skip her afternoon nap, Stella would have slept through the whole ride. The lack of sleep ended up having the opposite effect on the two-year-old; between Stella not wanting to sit in her seat, wanting a snack, or having to pee every twenty minutes, Hanna wasn't sure whether she herself would make it to the end of the ride.

Hanna got off the train with her daughter in her arms, and looked around for her mother, who was supposed to pick her up. Instead, she spotted Spencer, who was waiting to greet her with a smile. Hanna walked up to her best friend and gave her a hug. "Spencer, what are you doing here?"

"Your mom called me. She's stuck in a meeting at the hotel and asked if I could come get you," Spencer smiled, "I thought you weren't coming back until the weekend?"

Hanna cleared her throat, "Yeah, change of plans," She muttered, "I thought I'd come back a few days earlier to catch up with everyone. God, it's been forever since the four of us were all in the same place at the same time."

"It really has," Spencer agreed, "And I guess this just means that I get to spend more days with my favorite goddaughter," She added, reaching out to take Stella from Hanna.

Hanna raised her eyebrow, "I'm pretty sure that she's your only goddaughter. Plus, she's been Miss. Crankypants lately, so have fun with that."

"Stella? Cranky? Never," Spencer laughed as she bounced the toddler on her hip, which elicited a giggle from Stella, "See Han, good as new."

Hanna rolled her eyes and smiled as they headed off to collect her luggage. As they strolled away from the platform, Spencer noticed that Hanna's family was one member short.

"Where's Caleb? Did he not come with you?" She asked, a little confused.

Hanna's smile disappeared. "No. He had some big project at work that he had to complete," She mumbled. Hanna hated lying to Spencer, but she didn't feel like talking about it to anyone. "Are Aria and Em in town yet?" She questioned, trying to change the subject.

"Yeah," Spencer confirmed, "Emily's flight got in yesterday, and Aria got in this morning. I am actually supposed to be meeting them for coffee in a bit if you want to come. We can swing by your mom's house and drop off your bags, then head to The Brew."

"I'm actually not staying with my mom. She and Ted are currently doing some remodeling so the upstairs is a mess," Hanna rolled her eyes, "But she did set me up with a room at The Radley. We can just drop my bags off there later, let's go straight to The Brew to see the girls. I've missed you all so much."

"I've missed you too, Han," Spencer said with a smile on her face, wrapping her free arm around Hanna's shoulder as they reached her SUV.

* * *

The day had seemed to drag on for Caleb, at least since he'd returned to work that afternoon. No matter how hard he tried to concentrate on the task in hand, his mind kept wandering back to his relationship with Hanna. When they had first moved to New York, they had spent every moment that they could together; they were finally free from high school, their parents, and most of all, -A drama. Then, they were just high school sweethearts, ready to spend the rest of their lives together.

Most nights, he and Hanna had explored the nightlife that the city had to offer. Unsurprisingly, Hanna had loved the club scene. It helped her in her line of work; she would wear her newest creations to the parties in order to get her name out there, hoping that the right person would take notice and offer her work. Going to the clubs wasn't exactly Caleb's favorite way for them to spend time together, but he supported his girlfriend's ambitions and stood beside her, often in order to protect her from the creepy perverts at the venues. Not that Hanna couldn't take care of herself, if she needed to.

When the couple had wanted to spend quiet nights together, they would head up north to the Adirondack State Park, recreating the special moment that they had shared with each other when he had first arrived in Rosewood. One of their last fall camping trips, combined with a little too much alcohol and a forgotten condom, had resulted in a surprise pregnancy. Initially, Caleb and Hanna were scared about being young parents, and worried about how bringing a baby into the world would change their lives. Once they'd had their first sonogram, however, and seen the miracle they had created, they'd known that as long as they had each other, they would be ok.

When the doctor had revealed that they were expecting a girl, Hanna was over the moon. She had always dreamed about having a daughter, one that she could teach about fashion, make-up, and shopping. The idea of having a little girl had affected Caleb more than he'd thought it would. Sure, having a son would be easier, considering the fact that he knew more about boys, but once he imagined his daughter looking a lot like the women he fell in love with, and thought about how she would most likely have him wrapped around her little finger, Caleb couldn't think of anything better. It was no secret that his upbringing hadn't been the best, and he was determined to make sure that his child, and future children, knew what love was.

Caleb and Hanna knew right away that they wanted to ask Spencer and Toby to be Stella's godparents. Despite living two states away from each other, the couples remained close after they had graduated. When they would would visit each other's towns, the boys always liked to stay in and have a 'guys' night', which normally consisted of them drinking beer and playing video games. Hanna and Spencer liked to hit the mall or have a spa day. Even after Stella was born, the girls would take her with them and adorn her with new outfits. Caleb didn't mind them spoiling her; how could anybody resist his little girl when she was running around in cute flowery dresses with headbands to match? Caleb had no doubt in his mind that it was Hanna's mission to make Stella the cutest tot in town.

As Caleb and Hanna's lives had gradually become busier, they'd seen less and less of their friends; mostly, they stayed in touch through phone calls and texts. Between the demands of parenting, Caleb's job, and Hanna's classes, they'd begun to see less of each other as well. Caleb couldn't pinpoint the exact moment that everything had started to go south; it had seemed like everything was building up, until it finally came to a head.

Something always tended to come up to ruin their plans; for Hanna's birthday last year, Caleb had planned to surprise her by taking her out to a romantic dinner, before ending the evening by proposing to her during a moonlit walk through Central Park. He had always intended to take Hanna to Paris, her favorite city, to ask her to marry him. But with Stella only six months old at the time, it wasn't really possible. Before Caleb had even had a chance to tell Hanna about his plans, she had announced that one of her professors at FIT had invited a select few of her students to attend a huge fashion event in LA. Hanna had been so excited about going, that Caleb had stayed silent about his surprise, and she had gone to LA. He couldn't put all the blame on Hanna, though; Caleb's boss was always asking him to work on various special projects, which required working extra hours, and Caleb never said no. Being the man of the house, he wanted to make sure that he was able to provide his family with everything that they needed.

When Caleb finally left work that evening, he wasn't sure as to what he should do next. He could go home, but the apartment would be too quiet, and he would be left alone with his thoughts again. He could have gone to the bar down the street and had a beer or two, but ultimately Caleb decided against the idea when he realized that, in his current state, one or two beers could lead to more, and he didn't want to risk doing anything stupid with no one around to stop him. Instead, Caleb jumped in his jeep and pulled out his cell phone. When the screen lit up, he felt a tug at his heart; the wallpaper on his phone was a picture that was taken back in June at Stella's second birthday party. Caleb had been chasing Stella around the back yard at Hanna's mom's house – she was on a sugar high from eating too much cake and ice cream. When he had finally caught up to her, he had picked her up and placed her on his shoulders. Hanna had walked over to the two of them in order to join in on the precious moment, and had given each of them a kiss. Ashley Marin had managed to capture the moment on camera just as Caleb's lips had connected with Hanna's, Stella giggling from above. At first, Caleb had thought that it was the cheesiest picture ever, but once Hanna had made it his phone background, he couldn't stop looking at it.

As his finger hovered over his contacts, Caleb felt a strong temptation to call Hanna, just to hear her voice. He knew, however, that it would only make matters worse. She had asked him for some space, and he wanted to respect that, but the fact that he missed her really didn't help. Even though she had only been gone for a few hours, the distance between them made it feel like much longer. She would most likely be in Rosewood by now, probably catching up with Spencer, Aria, and Emily. If Caleb had joined Hanna for the trip, he probably would have been out fishing with Toby; he could have used some guy time with his best friend in order to take his mind off of missing Hanna. Spencer had once advised them to 'never underestimate the power of a good bromance', after all. Hanna and Spencer were always giving the guys a hard time about their friendship. Maybe talking to Toby wouldn't be such a bad thing; given that Spencer would be preoccupied with the Charlotte ordeal, Toby would most likely have some free time to join Caleb in New York. Anything would be better that sitting home alone, waiting for Hanna and Stella to return.

* * *

Hanna's first week in Rosewood went by very quickly – she was thankful that she had something to keep her mind occupied. As much as she missed Caleb, she knew that if she thought about him too much, she would break down. She had felt bad for walking out on him like that – they could have talked it out, but Hanna's fight or flight instincts had caused her to run. She was scared that she and Caleb were falling apart, and she wasn't ready to accept it. So when the letter from the court had arrived, it had given Hanna an out that she had willingly taken.

The four girls had met Ali first thing that Monday morning in order to discuss Charlotte's hearing. Ali had pleaded with them to tell the courts that her sister should go free, regardless as to whether it was a lie or not. She wanted the girls to say that they felt Charlotte posed no threat to them, and that they were not afraid of her anymore. Hanna couldn't believe what she had heard. No way would she agree to this. As far as Hanna was concerned, Charlotte should be locked up in that psychiatric hospital, rotting away for the rest of her miserable life. She did not want to think about a person like that being free – she could easily come after her again, or worse, her daughter. She stood firm with her decision, as did the others.

However, on the day of the hearing later that week, Hanna had frozen. As much as it had pained her to lie, Hanna had told the judge that Charlotte should be released. Spencer, Emily, and even Mona had caved as well, telling the judge that they felt Charlotte was not a danger to others anymore. Aria had been the only one to speak the truth. After the hearing, everyone had gone their separate ways – no one wanted to discuss what had happened in the courtroom. If Caleb had been there, he would have pulled Hanna into a hug, and reassured her that she had done the right thing. He had a magical way of calming her down when she was doubting herself. She missed that, she missed him. Hanna had gone back to her hotel room after parting with the girls; seeing her daughter's face and cuddling with her until she fell asleep always helped to take the stress away.

After a week of the judge deliberating, Hanna was called back to the courthouse in order to find out whether or not Charlotte would be released. She could tell when she met the others outside, that they were just as nervous to hear the verdict as she was. Even though it was just a formal hearing, the girls had promised Ali that they would be there for support. Hanna walked into the courtroom and sat in the first row of chairs behind Ali, Charlotte and Dr. Rollins, Charlotte's doctor. Spencer sat next to Hanna, with Aria and Emily on the other side of her. The four best friends linked hands as the judge arrived to announce his decision. Hanna's heart sank when the judge revealed that Charlotte was able to go free – she couldn't believe what had just happened. In front of her, the DiLaurentis sisters embraced each other and began to cry, what Hanna assumed were tears of joy.

Ali broke away from her sister and turned towards the girls. "Thank you so much for everything you've done for Charlotte and I. I don't know how I could ever repay you for giving me my sister back."

Hanna didn't know how to respond. It was amazing to her that, after seven years, they were still under Ali's spell.

"It was nothing Ali. You would have done the same for us if we had asked," Emily smiled.

Ali hugged each of the girls, and then left with Charlotte and Dr. Rollins.

"Can we just get out of here?" Hanna muttered; she was beginning to feel more and more claustrophobic the longer she stood in the room.

"Yeah, let's go," Emily nodded as she wrapped her arm around Hanna.

"So that's that," Spencer remarked as they walked outside.

"You guys wanna hear something funny?" Hanna asked, laughing a little.

"I would love to hear something funny," Emily said, needing some light relief.

Hanna pursed her lips, "I thought it wouldn't matter what we said to the judge, because I thought they would never let her out. I thought that we could lie to Ali one more time and it wouldn't matter. But it did. They let -A out," She finished, letting out a small chuckle.

"Wouldn't it just be the biggest cosmic joke ever if Charlotte gets to live happily ever after?" Aria asked

"If she can do it, so can we," Emily stated.

"How about we go to The Radley. Get a massage at the spa there, order some dinner and wine, and just hang out all night like old times," Hanna suggested.

Spencer smiled, "That sounds like a great idea," She agreed.

* * *

Hanna had hoped that the facial and massage would make her feel more relaxed, but they didn't. Emily's comment kept replaying in her head – if Charlotte could have a happy ending, why couldn't they? Hanna wished it was that easy. Being back in Rosewood made her realize how much her life had changed. What she wouldn't give to go back to a simpler time, before the -A mess and adult responsibilities, where her happy ending was still a dream in her head. But Hanna knew that without A, and all of Ali's drama that had created the monsters in the first place, she would probably never have gotten to know Caleb. And of course, without Caleb, she wouldn't have Stella either. Having both of them in her life almost made everything seem worth it.

The girls, and Stella, were currently in Hanna's hotel room; Stella was enjoying all the attention that she had been receiving lately. Emily was sitting on the floor, opposite the toddler, as they tossed a bouncy ball back and forth.

"I can't believe how big she has gotten since the last time I saw her," Aria remarked as she watched the two of them play.

Hanna raised an eyebrow at her friend, "You saw her a little over two months ago at her birthday party."

"I know, but she just seems so much more grown up now," Aria sighed, "I don't remember her talking this much before."

"Tell me about it. Caleb and I have to watch our language around her now. A few weeks ago, Caleb tripped over one of her stuffed animals in the nursery and said a few choice words," Hanna chuckled, "Stella repeated them without hesitation, it took me half an hour to get her to stop. She just kept repeating them, it was a nightmare."

"I am so sorry that I missed her birthday party, Han. I wish I could have been there," Emily frowned, looking back at the toddler as she rolled the ball towards her.

"Don't worry about it, Em," Hanna smiled, sincerely, "You live three thousand miles away. I'm just glad you're here now."

"Me too," Emily grinned at her friend, "Ok Stel, I think my legs are starting to fall asleep sitting down here. Let's go see your mommy." Emily got up off of the floor, and walked over to the couch. Stella was right on her heel, running to Hanna with the ball still in her hand.

"Momma, throw the ball!" Stella exclaimed.

"You know what baby?" Hanna said as she picked Stella up and sat her on her lap, "I think you've had enough fun for one night, it's time for b-e-d."

"No! Play!" The toddler screeched.

"Ugh. Another thing she's learned. I swear 'no' is her favorite word at the minute," Hanna groaned.

"So does that mean you and Caleb aren't talking about having another one any time soon?" Aria asked with a smirk.

"Forget about kid number two, when is he gonna propose?" Emily chimed in, "You guys have been together for like seven years. What is he waiting for?"

Spencer sensed Hanna's hesitation as they waited for her to answer the question, and attempted to change the subject. She knew from talking to Toby that something was going on between Hanna and Caleb, but she didn't want to approach her friend about it until they were alone. "Hey, Toby hasn't proposed either. It must be some kind of pact that the guys made together," She laughed, trying to lighten the mood.

"Speaking of the guys, where are they? I figured that they would both come back with you two," Emily asked.

"You know what?" Hanna said, standing up with Stella – who had long forgotten about playing and was rubbing her tired eyes – in her arms, "I'm going to go and make an attempt to put this munchkin to sleep. Why don't you guys crack open the wine? This momma could use a drink," She laughed as she left the room.

Two bottles of wine and three hours later, Hanna and Spencer were the only still awake. Aria's tiny body was curled up in the oversized sofa chair, whilst Emily had fallen asleep on the opposite end of the couch, with Spencer sitting at her feet. Spencer knew that, now they were effectively alone, it was the best time to bring up the subject of Caleb.

"So are you going to tell me what's really going on?" Spencer asked. Hanna looked back at her, confused. "Come on Hanna, I talked to Toby. He said that Caleb had that look about him."

"What look?" Hanna asking, raising an eyebrow.

"You know the look I'm talking about; you might recognize it from your reflection. He's heartbroken too, Han. What happened?" Spencer pushed her friend for an answer.

"I walked out on him ok! Are you happy now?" Hanna looked around as Emily stirred due to her loud outburst. "I don't want to talk about this Spence," Hanna murmured as she got up and made her way to the bathroom, not wanting to answer her friend's questions. Spencer knew exactly what Hanna was trying to do, and ran the door before she could, standing right in front of it.

"Hanna, don't do this. Don't shut me out too. I'm here for you and I love you. I just want to help you, so talk to me," Spencer pleaded with Hanna.

"I messed up, Spencer," Hanna mumbled quietly, "I was so focused on my career and Stella that I completely neglected our relationship. I took him for granted; he moved to New York for me, paid for my tuition, and even provided for our family whilst I was in school. And how did I repay him? By biting his head off every time I was stressed. All we've done recently is fight. I promised Stella that I wouldn't let her grow up like me, with parents who are separated, and now that's exactly what she has."

"Oh Hanna," Spencer said sadly, pulling her friend into a hug and letting her cry on her shoulder. It was funny – Toby had told her that Caleb had given him almost the exact same speech. Hanna and Caleb were stubborn as hell, and it was no surprise to anyone that they had both put the blame on themselves. Spencer released her hold on Hanna, but kept her hands on her shoulders. "Listen to me. You and Caleb are not your parents. You're not separated. You just had a little fight, and need to spend some time apart. Just call him, tell him what's going on. The love between the two of you is strong, I know that you guys will be ok."

"I can't. What if he hates me?" Hanna sighed, wiping at a tear as it slipped down her cheek, "I mean, I just walked out, with his daughter. What kind of person does that?"

"You were just upset. No relationship is perfect. He could never hate you, Han," Spencer smiled in an attempt to soothe her friend.

"What if we do talk it out and I go home and then it starts all over again? I can't keep putting Stella through that. She doesn't need to grow up in a house full of tension."

"Well you can't avoid him forever, Hanna. Just call him please," Spencer pleaded, pulling her phone out of her pocket and holding it out for Hanna.

Hanna looked down at the phone as more tears started to pour down her face, "I can't Spencer. I just can't." She turned away from her friend and walked back into the bedroom, shutting the door behind her.

Spencer didn't follow her – she knew it was a sign that Hanna was done talking. Sighing, she walked out into the hallway and unlocked her phone. She knew that if Hanna wouldn't listen to her, then she would have to take matters into her own hands. Spencer hit the number on speed dial and waited for him to pick up. Though it was late, she knew that he would still answer.

"Hey babe. Are you ok? It's late," Came a voice from the other end of the line.

"Yeah I'm fine Toby, but Hanna and Caleb aren't. We need a plan."

 **AN:** Thanks to everyone who reviewed chapter 1. Your thought mean everything to me :) You will also be happy to know that I have decided to extend this story to 5 chapters!

And as always, thank you to Katja, Sam, Jane, Kat, Marion, and Jen. This story would not be what it is without you all.


	3. This Old Town

"Ok, I'll see what I can do on my end. Yeah sounds good. Love you too. Bye," Caleb overheard as Toby walked back over to him in the bar, ending his call.

"So, how is Spencer?" Caleb asked.

"She's good. She and the girls are just getting ready to go to bed, and she wanted to say goodnight," Toby replied

"We'll aren't you two just sickly sweet," Caleb rolled his eyes as he took a drink of his beer.

"Hey, just because your relationship sucks right now, doesn't mean you get to rag on mine."

"Who said my relationship sucks?" Caleb raised an eyebrow.

"Dude, you took the week off from work, but didn't go back with Hanna and Stella to Rosewood. Plus, I've been here for two days and all you've done is mope around and drink beer. How about you go out and join the real world?"

Caleb look around at their surroundings. "Uh, I am out."

"The bar does not count," Toby laughed, giving his friend a pointed look.

"Well, sorry. I'm not in the mood to go gallivanting around town," Caleb shot back with a sarcastic tone.

"Then why exactly am I here? To keep you in line so that you don't run off and join the circus? Or so you have an excuse not to go and talk things out with Hanna," Toby mocked him.

"Do you DVR Oprah or something?" Caleb was so over this conversation already, "And besides, Hanna doesn't want to talk to me."

Toby sighed, "That's not true. You know Hanna loves you."

"Her running one hundred miles away with my daughter sure paints a different picture," Caleb retorted, before pressing his lips together.

"That wasn't because of you. It was -"

"- because of Alison. I know. That's exactly what she said too," Caleb snapped back.

Toby was trying his hardest to get through to Caleb, but he knew that his friend was as stubborn as they came. "What about Stella? Hanna let you facetime her last weekend. She can't be avoiding you that much," He reminded him.

"Only because she had her mom send me the request while she was off running errands," Caleb rolled his eyes, "Then I had to try to explain to Ashley why her daughter didn't want to talk to me. Or at least explain enough so that she would stop asking questions. And besides, as mad as Hanna is with me, she's not the type of person that would not let me see my child. They'll be back at the end of the week and we'll just work it out then."

"Well, we're not just going to sit around and do nothing until then. Pack your bag. We leave first thing in the morning," Toby chirped as he stood up.

"Where exactly are we going?" Caleb asked.

"Fishing."

* * *

Hanna woke up the next morning feeling just as exhausted as she had when she went to bed. She wasn't sure if it was due to the amount of alcohol that she'd had to drink the night before, or the fact that she'd cried herself to sleep. Hanna had thought that she had everything under control until Spencer's interrogation had broken her down. She would have to thank her friend later – it had felt good to get everything off of her chest, but it still hadn't brought Hanna any closer to figuring out what to do about her relationship with Caleb. As much as she wanted to take Stella and go back home now that Charlotte's case was closed, she just couldn't bring herself to face Caleb after walking out on him.

Hanna reached over to the end table to check the time on her phone. She was surprised to see that it was quarter past ten in the morning. She hadn't slept in that late in a long time, Stella wouldn't have allowed that. Hanna turned to her other side to look at the cot that her daughter had been sleeping in, only to find it empty. Thanks to the laughs and giggles coming from the other room, Hanna had a pretty good idea of where Stella was. She got out of bed and put on her robe, before opening the door to the living room; the sight in front of her reminded Hanna of the fact that she had the best friends in the world.

All of the cushions had been removed from the couch, and the chairs had been moved into the center of the room. Blankets and sheets were draped over all of the furniture to complete the fort, which was occupied by four bodies. Hanna had no doubt that this had been her daughter's idea; one of Stella's favorite things to do with Caleb back home, was to build a tent in the front room and lay underneath it as Caleb read a story too her. It was no mystery as to why her family had an odd obsession with tents and camping – she and Caleb were counting down the days until Stella was old enough to take on an actual camping trip, one that she would be able to enjoy. Hanna's smile faded. She hoped that she and Caleb would get past whatever was going on between them so that they could still take that trip as a family.

Hanna cleared her throat in order to announce her presence. The giggling ceased, and Stella's head popped out from underneath the blanket. "Mommy!" Stella yelled as she crawled out from under the side of the tent and ran to her mom.

Hanna knelt down to catch her daughter in her arms. After she released Stella from her hold, she was able to get a good look at what she was wearing. On one of her feet, the toddler was wearing a pink sock, and on the other a blue one. Stella also was wearing a pair of red leggings with a purple shirt, that was on both backwards and inside out. To top it off, her hair was tied in a set of pigtails, which were standing straight up on her head. Hanna couldn't help but laugh at how crazy her daughter looked.

"We made a tent, mommy!" Stella said excitingly. Hanna looked over at the contraption to see Aria, Emily, and Spencer emerging from the front.

"I see baby. Are you having fun?" Hanna asked. Stella nodded her head with a smile as she ran off to finish watching cartoons on the TV from her fort.

"Morning Hanna. Sorry about the mess," Emily smiled, a guilty look plastered across her face.

"No worries," Hanna laughed, "It feels more like home now."

"We tried to get her dressed too, but she insisted on doing it herself," Spencer chimed in.

"I should have warned you, she's at that stage where she wants to do everything herself," Hanna chuckled, "I figured it was either that, or that Aria's teenage fashion sense was coming back."

"Hey!" Aria reached over to grab a pillow off of the chair before throwing it at Hanna, "My fashion sense wasn't _that_ bad."

Emily raised her eyebrow, "Aria, you wore forks for earrings and a skirt made of of ties."

"Well, what about Spencer and her _Sailor Moon_ outfit?" Aria argued back.

"I'll admit, that wasn't the best outfit choice," Spencer rolled her eyes, "But at least I didn't own a jumpsuit that had every color of the rainbow in it. I needed to wear sunglasses every time you wore it," She finished, looking at Hanna.

"Wait a second. How did this get turned around on me?" Hanna asked, laughing a little.

"That's what you get for trying to pick on the littlest one in the pack," Aria shot back, folding her arms across her chest.

Emily sighed, "How did I end up the only normal one here?"

"I don't know how you call owning twenty pairs of sneakers normal but whatever," Spencer rolled her eyes as all of the girls laughed.

"I miss this," Hanna confessed after the laughter had subsided, "Why did we all have to move away?"

Before anyone had a chance to respond, the room phone rang. Hanna walked over to answer it.

"Hello?"

"Hanna, it's me," Came Ali's frantic voice from the other end.

"Hi Ali," Hanna mumbled back.

Ali's voice sounded even more frantic this time, "Did Charlotte come to your hotel room last night?"

"No, she didn't. What's wrong?" Hanna asked, now curious.

"I don't know where she is."

Hanna's heart skipped a beat. This couldn't be happening. "You don't know where Charlotte is?"

"Dr. Rollins brought her home last night, we talked for hours, she was so happy and grateful. We went to bed and this morning she was gone," Ali explained, sounding tearful, "All of her stuff is here but she isn't. Dr. Rollins wants me to call the police."

"Yeah, you should," Hanna encouraged her.

Ali sighed, "Can you call the others and come over?"

"Yeah, I will but Ali, don't wait. Call the police." Hanna was starting to panic now; she'd never trusted Charlotte.

"Please hurry," Ali whimpered before hanging up.

"Well, I guess I just answered my own question," Hanna rolled her eyes as she put the phone down. "Charlotte was there when they went to sleep and now she's gone," She explained to the others, "So much for everything in this town going back to normal."

* * *

"Are you ever gonna tell me where we're going? We've been on the road for almost three hours now," Caleb asked from the passenger side of his jeep as Toby drove.

"I told you, we're going fishing," Toby answered.

"Yeah, I gathered that from the poles and gear in the back," Caleb mumbled sarcastically, "Why do we have to drive so far to this particular spot? Heck, I could have driven to Rosewood and halfway back by now and- wait, you're not taking me to Rosewood are you?" When Toby didn't reply, Caleb looked over and noticed the smirk on his friend's face. "I swear to God Toby."

Toby laughed, "How long has it been since you and Hanna last had sex, man? Cause you are crabby."

"And you aren't answering my question," Caleb shot back. His question, however, was answered when he saw the large green sign ahead. _WELCOME TO ROSEWOOD._ Caleb slumped back into his seat. He had been tricked by his best friend and had fallen for it.

"What can I say? I like the long scenic route better," Toby smiled as he turned into the driveway of his family's cabin.

"I told you, Hanna and I will figure it out when she and Stella come home," Caleb sighed.

"And what if she decides that she doesn't want to come home? This town does have its own particular gravity. We both know that," Toby concluded, looking over at his friend.

Maybe Toby was right. Every time he and Hanna had fought, even back in high school, they had taken time apart and had always found their way back to each other. That was just what they did. Caleb had assumed that this would be like all the other times. But what if he was wrong? He couldn't risk losing both Hanna and his daughter. Caleb didn't think he could survive it.

As they pulled up in front of the cabin, Caleb noticed Spencer, sitting on the front step. He got out of the jeep and pulled Spencer into a hug. "Leave it to you two to pull and intervention on me," He laughed.

"Nice to see you too, Caleb," Spencer quipped.

"You can stay here until you make up with your lady and go back home," Toby said, tossing the keys at Caleb as he pulled Spencer to his side.

"Oh, and as you know, there's a bed in the cabin. So when you and Hanna make up, could you please spare the couch? People do actually sit there," Spencer teased Caleb.

"Are you ever going to let us live that down?" Caleb asked, a little embarrassed.

"Nope," Spencer smiled, "I would have burned the damn thing if it didn't have sentimental value."

"Ok, changing the subject," Toby interjected, "I'm starving. Who wants some lunch?"

"Actually, I can't stay," Spencer sighed, pulling away from him.

"Why, what's wrong?" Toby asked, noticing a shift in his girlfriend's behavior.

Spencer looked at both of the guys, and took a breath before she spoke, "Charlotte was released yesterday and now she's missing."

"How is she missing? Why was she released?" Both guys asked at the same time.

Spencer continued, "I don't have time to go into detail right now because I need to get going to Ali's to meet the others, but basically, we told the judge that we were ok with her being released. Ali called us this morning and said that Charlotte was there when they went to bed but was gone this morning when she woke up."

Caleb ran his hand through his hair in frustration. "Great! They let -A escape. So does that mean that she's going to come after you girls again? You're going to go back to flinching every time your phone rings?" Caleb's heart dropped as he heard Spencer's phone suddenly go off in her pocket.

"Tell me that did not just happen?" Toby asked.

"Relax boys, it's just Emily," Spencer rolled her eyes as she walked away to answer the call.

The guys watched intently as Spencer received new information from her friend. When the phone call was over, Spencer rejoined Caleb and Toby.

"Well?" Caleb asked nervously.

"The cops found Charlotte. She, uh," Spencer hesitated, "She killed herself. Apparently, she jumped out of the window of the bell tower at the church. Ali is a wreck. She wants to be alone but Emily is going to go be with her."

"Where is Hanna?" Caleb asked. As much as they weren't getting along, he knew that Hanna would be taking this hard. Especially since she and the others were responsible for getting Charlotte released.

"She should still be at the hotel. Room 229. Emily is calling her next to let her know," Spencer informed him.

"Ok, I'm going to go see her," Caleb decided, making his way to his jeep. He paused before he opened the driver's door and looked back at his friends. "Thanks, you two," He smiled, before he jumped into his vehicle and drove off down the road.

* * *

"Let me know if Ali needs anything. Ok, thanks Emily. Bye," Hanna hung up the phone and walked back over to the couch, which had now been put back together. The girls had left not long after Ali's frantic call; Spencer had said something about having to meet Toby, so they were all going to meet at Ali's afterwards. Now that Charlotte had been found deceased, all of their plans had been canceled.

Hanna sat down on the couch as Stella climb up to join her. Stella handed Hanna one of her new stuffed animals, which Grandma Ashley had given her recently. With all of the new toys that Stella had been given on this trip, Hanna knew there was no way that she was going to be able to take all of them back with her.

"Here, you hold Pop Pop," Stella said, shoving a stuffed blue horse towards her mom as she placed more stuffed animals on her lap. Hanna was surprised at how well Stella had adapted to not having a set routine and being away from home, away from Caleb, for so long. They had had a few nights whilst in Rosewood during which Stella had cried for her dad. But Hanna had played Stella a few videos of Caleb that she had saved on her phone, and that had seemed to satisfy her. She had also had her mom FaceTime Caleb for Stella whilst she was watching her. Of course, Hanna had gotten an earful about her broken relationship when she had returned. She had failed to remember that Caleb could never lie to Ashley, especially after everything that she had done for him when he had first come to Rosewood.

Hanna heard a soft knock at the door. She removed all of the animals that were piled on her lap, and stood to answer the door. She wasn't expecting company, but her mom had made a habit of stopping by when she had a free moment – Hanna knew that her mom had enjoyed having her daughter and granddaughter around for the last two weeks. She opened the door and was surprised to see who was on the other side.

"Hey," Caleb smiled nervously.

"Hey," Hanna replied in a quiet voice. They both stood there, staring at each other for a moment, until her brain finally caught up with her. "Sorry, I thought you were my mom."

"I haven't changed that much have I?" Caleb attempted to break the ice.

Hanna smiled slightly. "No you haven't"

"Spencer told me what happened," He admitted with a sigh.

"You talked to Spencer?" Hanna asked, a little surprised.

"Yeah. I saw her when she came to see Toby. I was actually with her when she got the call from Emily." Caleb glanced over Hanna's shoulder to see Stella playing on the couch. Hanna followed his gaze. She knew that Caleb was itching to see his daughter. "Can I come in?" He asked.

"Yeah," Hanna nodded.

"Thanks," Caleb smiled, meeting her eyes as he walked past her into the room.

"Hey, Stella. Look who's here," Hanna told her daughter. Stella look up and her blue eyes instantly brightened. She climbed off of the couch and ran straight into Caleb's arms as he crouched down.

"Daddy!" Stella exclaimed, "I missed you."

"I missed you too, Bug," He smiled as he kissed her cheek.

Stella wiped her face with her arm. "You tickle, dad," She giggled, rubbing her hand on his stubble.

"I do? How about I tickle you here?" Caleb said, before moving his hand to tickle Stella's stomach. The toddler screamed with delight.

Hanna couldn't help but smile at their interaction. She instantly felt guilty for keeping them apart for so long.

Caleb walked over to the couch with Stella still in his arms. "Wow, look at all these animals you have."

"I have a zoo," Stella said proudly.

"I can see that." Caleb sat down on the couch, and sat Stella in his lap so that she could continue to play with her animals. Hanna stayed on the other end of the couch, leaning on the arm.

"Why are you here?" She finally spoke. Her question had come out a little harsher than she had expected. Caleb looked up at her, slightly surprised by her tone. "Sorry, it's been a very wrong day and I didn't expect you to show up on my doorstep."

"Yeah, Spencer told me about Charlotte and, um, I don't know," He fumbled nervously, "Maybe it was a conditioned reflex but I thought I could help."

"Well, I'm glad to know that your reflexes still work," Hanna retorted.

Getting Hanna to let her walls down was going to be harder than Caleb had anticipated. But he wasn't going to give up easily. "You ok?"

Hanna took a deep breath as she moved to sit on the couch cushion. "Well, we came here to help Ali, and Charlotte killed herself. We could have just kept our mouths shut and she would still be in a nice, safe hospital. Instead, we have another funeral to get through."

"Yeah, I thought I might stick around for that. Toby said I could stay at his cabin." As much as Caleb want to be by Hanna's side, he still wanted to give her the space that she had asked for.

"Don't you have to work?" Hanna enquired.

"No," He confirmed, "I took the week off."

"Since when do you take time off of work?" Hanna was shocked.

"Since I realized that I was an idiot and missed my family." Caleb saw Hanna lower her gaze and smile. He knew that he was starting to break her down. "So, what have you and Stella been up to, except for the Charlotte stuff?"

"Mostly just catching up with the girls. They have been spoiling Stella a lot, if you hadn't already noticed," Hanna chuckled, pointing to the pile of animals between them, which was growing bigger by the minute.

"I can tell. We might have to leave some with your mom, I don't think they'll all fit in the nursery. I see you've been working on some new designs," Caleb nodded towards the open sketch pad on the end table.

"Yeah, I forgot how colorful this town is. I've been finding inspiration in a lot of different places."

"That's great, Han," He smiled back at her, sincerely.

Hanna's phone lit up with Spencer's name, interrupting their conversation.

"I should get going," Caleb sighed, standing up, "You've got a lot going on with your friends right now. Let me know if you want me to take Stella, you know where to find me if you need anything."

"Yeah, thanks Caleb," Hanna smiled genuinely at him.

Caleb knelt down to talk to Stella, who was currently occupied by her toys on the floor. "Hey Bug. Daddy has to go now, but I'll be back soon, ok? And then, maybe, we can go back home."

"Ok, bye daddy," Stella turned to Caleb and puckered her lips to give him a kiss goodbye.

Caleb gave his daughter a kiss, then stood up straight before heading towards the door.

Whilst Caleb and Stella were saying their goodbyes, Hanna opened her phone to read the message from Spencer.

 _You're welcome :)_

Hanna rolled her eyes and closed her phone. They owed it to themselves to make their relationship work, they owed it to Stella. When Hanna looked up, Caleb had just walked into the hallway and shut the door. She raced to the door and opened it to find the hallway empty.

"Caleb!" She shouted, hoping that she wasn't too late. When she didn't get a response, Hanna hung her head and began walking back into her room.

"Hanna?" Caleb appeared from around the corner. She let out a sigh of relief as Caleb approached her. "What's wrong?" He asked, concerned.

"Nothing. It's just that, would you like to have lunch with me and Stella?" She fumbled, nervously.

A grin spread across Caleb's face, "Of course. Do you wanna eat at the hotel or go out?"

"Let's go out. I could use some fresh air."

* * *

By the time they had finished eating lunch at The Apple Rose Grille, the tension and issues between them had been long-forgotten. Hanna couldn't remember the last time that they had been able to sit down and enjoy a meal together like this – Stella even seemed to be on her best behavior.

Exiting the restaurant, Caleb lifted Stella up onto his shoulders as they continued down the sidewalk. "I can't believe how much this town has changed since we moved away," He pointed out.

"I know what you mean. Every time we visit here, it's only for a day or two. It's been nice to able to relax here and take it all in. No horns blaring, people pushing. Hey, did you see that someone bought the Lost Woods Resort?" Caleb laughed as Hanna rambled on, "They should just tear that place down. It gives me the creeps."

"Says the girl who's staying in a hotel that used to be a nut house," Caleb joked.

"Ok. I get your point. What do you say we go see if the old playground is still standing? You want to go play on the swings, Stella?" Hanna asked, looking up at her daughter. Stella nodded in excitement. Caleb grabbed ahold of Hanna's hand as they crossed the street.

They reached the playground to find it exactly how they remembered it. Hanna reached up to grab Stella off of Caleb's shoulders. When she placed her daughter on the ground, Stella ran towards the animal rockers behind the swings. "Up, mommy, up," She demanded, giggling.

Hanna and Caleb walked over to Stella, and Hanna placed her on the toy. Stella began to sway back and forth whilst Hanna held onto her waist for support. Caleb took the opportunity to take his phone out and snap a few pictures of his girls.

"Stella, look at daddy and say cheese," Hanna told her, pointing towards Caleb. Stella gave Caleb a toothy grin as he snapped the photo.

"I want to swing," Stella told them, trying to climb off of the animal. Caleb helped her down and they made their way over to the swings. Since the playground didn't have baby seats, Caleb sat down on the swing first and pulled Stella onto his lap. He pushed his feet off the ground and the swing began to move. Caleb glanced up at Hanna to see her wiping a tear off her cheek – she caught his eye and waved him off with a smile. He knew that Hanna got very emotional when it came to moments like this. It was one of the things that Caleb had always loved about her.

The sound of Hanna's phone echoed through the park. Hanna reached in her bag to pull it out and frowned at the ID. She should have known that this call would be coming. After a quick chat, Hanna hung up the phone and looked at Caleb. "That was the police. They want me to come down for questioning."

Caleb could tell that Hanna was not looking forward to talking to the cops. He stood up from the swing, with Stella still in his arms, and placed his hand on Hanna's cheek. "Hey, you've got this. You have nothing to hide. Go deal with the police and I'll stay with Stella. Call me when you're done and maybe we can go out to dinner? A date out on the town like old times," He suggested with a chuckle.

"Sounds great," Hanna smiled, looking up at him. It was amazing that, after all these years, he could still make her feel safe, even with a few simple words. Caleb leaned down and kissed her on the forehead as she turned to walk into town.

* * *

Hanna stood in front of the mirror in her hotel room, trying to decide what to wear. When she had called Caleb to let him know that she was done talking to the police, he had informed her that their date called for casual attire. She had no idea why she was so nervous – it was Caleb, for crying out loud. Her boyfriend and father of her child. They had been together since they were sixteen years old, and knew more about each other than anyone else in their lives. Something about being back in town made Hanna feel so free, yet so vulnerable at the same time.

She finally settled for an off the shoulder, black chiffon top with a pair of skinny jeans and ankle boots. She chose to leave her hair down and wavy – Caleb always liked it when she wore it that way. As she was applying the last of her make-up, Ashley Marin walked into the bathroom and joined her daughter. "You look beautiful Hanna. Try to enjoy tonight," She smiled at her.

"Thanks mom, I will," Hanna nodded back. Both women turned to look into the living room as they heard a knock at the door. Hanna tossed her mascara onto the counter, and went to answer it. The sight in front of her caused her to cover her mouth in an attempt to disguise her laughter.

Caleb stood before her looking like he had just stepped out of time machine, having come from seven years ago. He wore a faded green flannel shirt over a grey t-shirt, dark ripped jeans, and combat boots. He was carrying Stella, who was now sporting a grey beanie on her head, with her blonde hair poking out from underneath.

"Wow, when you said casual, you weren't kidding. Though, why does our daughter have the beanie on and not you?" Hanna asked as she reached out to take Stella from Caleb.

"She kinda stole it from me. And besides, now that I have short hair, it looks much better on her," He chuckled.

Stella removed the hat from her head and placed it on Hanna's. "Mommy, you wear the hat."

"No, I changed my mind," Caleb teased, looking at Hanna, "It looks much better on you."

Hanna took the hat off of her head and placed it back on the toddler's. "You can have it back, baby. Now go play," She laughed, placing Stella back on the ground before she ran off. She turned back to Caleb, "I have to say, I feel like I'm over dressed for the occasion. You're dressed like you used to be for our dates back in high school."

"That was the plan," He grinned, "Although, if that was the case, your outfit would require a lot less clothing and five-inch heels."

Hanna swatted Caleb on the chest and laughed, "I can't believe you just said that."

"I can't believe I just heard that," Ashley sighed, walking in from the other room.

"Ashley, I didn't know you were here," Caleb mumbled, turning red with embarrassment.

"I came here to watch my granddaughter whilst you two go out," She smiled at him kindly, "My house is still a disaster area, so I figured I would just come here."

"Well, thank you," He said sincerely, before turning to Hanna "You ready to go?"

"Yeah, just let me grab my purse," She nodded at him.

"Stella, come say goodbye to your mommy and daddy," Ashley yelled into the bedroom, where the toddler was now playing.

Stella came out of the bedroom with the beanie still on top of her head. Caleb knelt down to give her a kiss, and then Hanna did the same. "You be good for grandma, ok?" She told her.

"Ok. I love you, mommy," The toddler beamed up at her.

Hanna reached out to hug her, "I love you too, baby," She mumbled.

"Love you, Bug," Caleb said from behind Hanna.

Stella grinned up at him, "Love you, daddy."

Hanna stood up, brushing her jeans off with the back of her hands. "Thanks again mom," She smiled as she hugged Ashley.

"Go have fun. You deserve it," She whispered in her daughter's ear.

Hanna pulled away, and walked towards the door to meet Caleb. He opened the door as they walked out together with his hand on the small of her back. When they reached the car, Caleb walked in front of Hanna to open the passenger door; once Hanna was in the jeep, Caleb shut the door and got into the driver's seat.

"So, you could have warned me that your mom was in the next room," Caleb looked at Hanna, who was in the passenger seat.

"And miss your face turning all kinds of red? No way," She chuckled.

"For that, I'm not telling you where we're going to eat," He retorted, smugly.

"Then I get control of the radio. Two can play this game, mister," She shrugged, "So what will it be? Katy or Justin?"

* * *

Caleb pulled up his jeep in front of a small restaurant on the edge of town. If it wasn't for the neon lights illuminating the top of the building, no one would even know it was there.

"Tivoli's Pizza? Really Caleb?" Hanna laughed as she got out of the jeep.

"Hey, I know it's not deep dish New York pizza, but tell me you haven't been craving this since we left Rosewood," He chuckled. Besides the Grille, this was the place that they had visited the most when they had wanted to eat. Caleb wanted to make this date reflect their younger days as much as he was able to. Anything to reignite the spark they had once had.

"Then pizza it is. Our usual?" Hanna asked.

"Sounds good."

* * *

After finishing their meal, Hanna began to tell Caleb about their week in Rosewood.

"Oh my gosh, Caleb. You should see how crazy she looked," Hanna laughed as she passed Caleb her phone, showing him the photo that she had taken that morning of Stella and her mismatched attire.

"Wow, she's really starting to style herself. Are you sure Aria didn't have anything to do with that?" Caleb asked jokingly, handing Hanna back her phone.

"No, but I did receive a pillow to the face for asking the same question," She rolled her eyes.

He shrugged, "You girls did have some interesting outfits back then."

"Well, I have to say, yours is pretty damn sexy tonight," She raised an eyebrow, looking him up and down.

"You digging the bad boy look?" Caleb chuckled, poking fun at her.

"Maybe a little bit," She smiled, before reaching across the table to take his hand. Caleb raised their joined hands and kissed the back of hers. "It's definitely something I could get used to again."

"Then it's settled. The suit and ties are going in the garbage as soon as we get home. I'll quit my job and go back to hacking phones for strangers," He teased her.

Hanna's face turned stoic all of a sudden. "Don't joke like that."

"Who's joking, Hanna?" He sighed, "I would do anything it get you back."

"Caleb, I'm right here. You still have me," She told him as she leaned forward, raising their joined hands.

"But not completely. I know you Hanna. Better than you know yourself. I know you're worried about the way things have been going between us, but we'll be ok. I mean, look at us today. You see how easy it was to get back into our groove?" He sighed deeply, "We've gotten through it before and we'll get through it again," Caleb removed his hand from hers and reached up to tuck a piece of hair behind her ear, "I promise."

Hanna met his gaze as her eyes began to fill with tears. "Can we go somewhere more private and talk?"

"Sure. I'll go get the check." Caleb squeezed her hand and stood up to pay the bill.

The whole ride back to the cabin, Hanna stayed silent. There was so much that she wanted to say to Caleb, to get off of her chest, but she couldn't find the right words. The last thing that she wanted him to think was that she didn't love him anymore. She loved him with all of her heart. He was her first love. He was the first guy that she had opened up to about her weight issues, and the first and only guy that she had ever made love to. There was no one better to be with. But she was afraid that they were growing apart, and the thought terrified her.

Walking into the cabin, Hanna couldn't believe how many memories it brought back. The place had brought Hanna a sense of comfort when her life felt like it was spiraling out of control. She had spent many nights here in Caleb's arms, trying to shut out the drama of Ali's return. Despite Caleb going through something at that time as well, they were still able to keep each other grounded.

"You want me to start a fire?" Caleb asked, bringing Hanna out of her thoughts. She gave him a slight nod as she wandered over to the old refrigerator, knowing that Caleb had most likely stocked it with her favorite champagne. She pulled the bottle out and poured it into two glasses. When she returned to the living room, Caleb was standing by the now lit fire, waiting for her. She passed him a glass and took a sip of her own.

Caleb observed as Hanna tried to avoid his gaze. The fire was casting a shadow across her face that he thought highlighted her beauty even more than usual, though he could tell that something was still bothering her. He placed his glass on the mantle and reached out to her, touching her chin with his fingertips, and turning her head to face him. He could no longer resist the urge to be with her again. His eyes drifted back and forth between her lips and her eyes before he closed the distance between them.

When she felt the light brush of his lips, she found herself responding willingly. It was less than a second before his lips caressed hers once more, just as gently, though this time the kiss was accompanied by a soft swipe of his tongue against her bottom lip.

Without breaking the kiss, Hanna adjusted her position, slipping her arms around his neck. When they both pulled back to catch a breath, she caught sight of his swollen lips and the dreamy look in his eyes. She groaned. Unable to stop herself, she leaned herself against him, searching for his lips once more. Her surrender was almost unconscious when she opened her mouth and sought his tongue with hers; she knew his taste from the million kisses that they had shared before, but never imagined how much it could still affect her. Two kisses turned into three, followed by four and five; each kiss seemed to last longer and felt a little more intimate than the last.

As her subconscious mind finally caught up with her brain, she pulled away from him – reality had hit her. "Caleb, we can't," She mumbled, turning away from him.

Caleb sighed as he moved towards her, placing his hands on her shoulders. "Hanna, please look at me," He sighed, "Tell me what's wrong."

"I don't think I can do this anymore," Hanna sobbed. She turned around to face him with tears pouring down her face.

"You don't really mean that do you?" He asked worriedly, "I told you, we'll get through this."

"And then what?" Hanna threw up her arms in frustration, "Who says that once we get home, it won't all fall apart again? I'm tired, Caleb."

"I won't let that happen," He declared, "You and Stella mean everything to me. You were right to walk out last week; it was the wake up call that I needed. I'll talk to my boss first thing on Monday about decreasing my hours."

"I can't ask you to do that," She sniffed, "Your job is important to you."

"Not as important as my family," He started, emotionally, "Hanna, I never want to spend another day without you, ever, for the rest of my life."

Hanna's eye widened. "You're not proposing are you?"

Caleb let out a small chuckle, "No. Well, not yet, anyway."

"Good to know," Hanna sighed before closing the gap between them, wrapping her arms around Caleb's neck. She looked up into his dark eyes. "I love you," She murmured. She stood on her toes, connecting their lips, sending sparks throughout her body – she would never get tired of the feeling. She tightened her arms around him, pulling herself securely into his embrace; it felt so right being held by him this way, so incredible to be kissed by him. His taste, his smell, the feeling of his body pressed up against hers, the soft noises coming from the back of his throat… all of it combined to feed her senses.

Hanna wasn't sure whether the heat that she was feeling was coming from the built up passion or the fire, but either way, she felt a dire need to be undressed. Caleb must have felt the same way, as she soon felt his hands slipping under the hem of her shirt, before pulling it over her head. She reluctantly broke away from the kiss and raised her arms to allow him to completely remove her top.

Caleb's lips immediately reconnected with hers, then descended to her throat – she whimpered as she felt his soft, wet kisses trailing down her neck. "I love you too," He whispered into her ear, his voice hoarse.

His kisses made their way back to Hanna's lips as her hands slipped between their bodies, unbuttoning his flannel and pushing it off of his shoulders. Once it was removed, her hands splayed out on his chest, and she could feel his heart hammering just as wildly as her own. She allowed her hand to linger there for a minute, just enjoying how attuned to each other they were, and reveling in the pride that she felt at realizing that she still had this effect on him. The need to feel the skin beneath his shirt became overwhelming, and her hand quickly moved to his waist, yanking the shirt up over his head.

Their foreheads rested against one another's for a brief moment whilst they caught their breaths. Looking at her flushed face and swollen lips, and listening to her labored breathing, Caleb didn't have to think for long to know that he wanted to be with her right then and there. His fingers rounded to her back as he unclasped her bra – the material fell to the floor, along with the rest of the discarded clothes. His hands continued down the bare skin of her hips, before coming to rest on her bottom. Not wanting to be apart from his love any longer, Caleb grabbed her behind, forcing her body up against his.

Hanna wrapped her legs around his waist, and her hands found their way into his hair as he began to walk them towards the bedroom. When they approached the foot of the queen size bed, Caleb sat Hanna down on the edge of it. She reached out, grabbing his belt loop as she began to undo his pants, whilst planting kisses on his abdomen. Once she had completed her task, Caleb stepped out of his jeans and boots. He reached down to remove Hanna's shoes as she leaned back on her arms and scooted towards the headboard, making room for Caleb to straddle her. In a not-so-gentle move, he yanked her jeans and underwear down before giving her a light push. Hanna sank down onto the bed, lifting her hips in order to help him remove her remaining clothes. In the dim light of the cabin, she could see his longing gaze as he hurried to shed the last of his own clothing; it took him less than two seconds, and he immediately returned to exploring her body thoroughly, as if he was seeing her naked for the very first time.

In a way, he was. With everything that had been going on between them lately, there had hardly been any opportunities for him to show his love for her on a more physical level, beyond their routine hello and goodbye kisses. After all, she was still as sexy as she had been before Stella was born. If anything, she had gained infinitesimal amounts in all the right places.

Neither had any patience left as they gravitated towards one another in an attempt to merge their bodies.

"Take me home," Hanna whispered as her lips found their counterparts, tasting the remnants of the champagne that they'd shared earlier as their tongues slowly found their way to one another's; soon, they both began to apply a little more pressure in order gain full access to each other's mouths.

Hands were roaming, fingers ghosting over anxiously tense bodies. Low sounds of moaning mingled with high-pitched sounds of pure bliss as they kissed and joined their bodies in the most intimate way.

In the pale moonlight, which was shining in through the small cabin windows, Hanna and Caleb lay entwined. The fire had burned out long ago, but their passion was not dwelling; it had spiraled out of control as a result of the unconditional love that they had rediscovered that night.

 **AN:**

Thanks to everyone again for the great reviews. Sorry for leaving you hanging for so long. This is my longest chapter yet. I hope it makes up for the long wait.

A special thanks to Zippizappi for helping me with the smut. She definitely is the queen of smut. And to my amazing beta HannnaRivers and my constant inspirations; TvfanLife, Halebxxx, Janethewriter1, and FrenchBenzo


	4. Decisions

2 Months Later

"Ok, Hanna. I need you to call the venue and let them know that we need to be in the building at 7am sharp in order to start setting up… oh, and tell them the guest list is now up to 325 people, so we'll need more tables and chairs. Also, double check the V.I.P list to make sure that we didn't leave anyone off. The last thing that we need during next Saturday's show is for one of the investors to be turned away. Oh, and Marisol broke her leg, so I need you to find me another size two model to fill her spot, preferably a tanned brunette," Dominic rambled; Hanna was desperately trying to scribble his orders down on her tablet as they walked out of the conference room into the Grand Hyatt hotel lobby. "What am I forgetting?" He stopped and turned to Hanna.

"What about the caterer? You mentioned something about a menu change earlier," Hanna pointed out.

"Ah yes. Tell them to forget the salmon, and add the halibut and eggplant. It will be more expensive, but we've got it covered. I knew I could count on you, Hanna," Dominic finished, before leaning forward and kissing Hanna on both cheeks. "We'll touch bases first thing Monday morning, love. Chao!" He smiled as he walked away.

Hanna took a deep breath in before regaining her composure. It wasn't that she didn't enjoy working for Dominic – he was a great fashion designer and friend, and she couldn't be any more grateful to him for letting her take the time off a few months previous in order to deal with everything back in Rosewood. But after finding out, through a popular fashion blog, that a few of her fellow classmates from FIT had already been noticed by people higher up in the industry, Hanna couldn't help but feel a twinge of jealousy. She had a whole portfolio full of great designs that she had shared with other high end designers, but not one had given her a second glance.

Hanna pulled out her phone as she rounded the corner, before scrolling through her list of tasks. She was so engrossed in it, that she didn't see the person coming around the opposite corner; they collided with her, papers from both of their hands scattering across the floor.

"I am so sorry. I wasn't looking where I was going and I just-" Hanna tried to apologize as she bent down to pick up the documents.

"Hanna?"

Hanna's head shot up as she immediately recognized the voice. "Lucas? Oh my god what are you doing here?"

"Didn't you see me waving?" He enquired, "I honked at you earlier when you got out of the cab."

"Wait, that was you in the silver jag?" Hanna asked, a little surprised.

"Well, can you look a little less shocked?" Lucas laughed.

"I'm not shocked, I'm impressed," She smiled, "How are you? Last time I heard you were moving to Chicago."

"Seattle, but I sold that company," Lucas corrected her, "I do game apps now."

Hanna nodded in understanding, "Do you still live with your folks?" She asked.

"No, I have a condo in Palo Alto, a town house in Hong Kong, and a loft above The Grille in back in Rosewood. But hey, look at you," Lucas commented, noting Hanna's upscale attire and armful of paperwork and electronics, "Designer Hanna Marin taking over the world?"

"No, just an intern for now. But I live here in New York with Caleb. We have a daughter, Stella, who's almost two and a half," Hanna told him as she took her phone out in order to show him a picture of the three of them.

"Wow. I can't say that I'm surprised, though. I figured you two would end up together," He smiled, prompting Hanna to smile too. "So, do you have time for a quick drink? I'd love to catch up more."

"Sure," She nodded, "Just let me call Caleb, so I can tell him I'll be a while." Hanna took her phone back from Lucas, and dialed Caleb's number as Lucas walked over to get a table for them in the lounge. The phone rang a few times before going to voicemail. "Hey babe, just wanted to let you know that I'm gonna be a bit late coming home. I ran into an old friend of ours and we're catching up. I'll see you when I get back, love you," Hanna spoke before she hung up and joined Lucas at the table.

"Everything ok?" Lucas asked, a little curious.

"Yeah, it went to voicemail. Stella has been fighting her first bout of the flu, so Caleb's probably busy dealing with her. He'll call if he needs me," Hanna explained.

Lucas nodded in understanding. "So how is Caleb?"

"He's doing good. He's working for some big security company, keeping the hackers out of other private companies. You know, stuff that goes right over my head," Hanna laughed.

Lucas smiled, "Have you guys been back to Rosewood lately? I heard about what happened to Charlotte."

"Yeah, we were there when she got released," Hanna nodded, "Even though it's sad that she killed herself, I'm just glad that it wasn't another murder. That's the last thing that town needs," She sighed. "Speaking of Rosewood, isn't that the old empty factory by the lake?" Hanna asked, pointing to the photo on top of Lucas stack of documents. It was a good chance to change the subject too – Charlotte was the last thing that Hanna wanted to talk about.

"Well, my accountants are telling me to spend money, so I figured that if I could do something with one of those old dinosaurs, then the accountants would be happy, and the town would get a little bit of tax revenue," Lucas explained.

"Aw, local boy makes good," Hanna chuckled.

"Yeah, a little of that. Maybe I'm giving that town a second chance, and this-" Lucas pulled another photo from the pile, "Is what it's gonna look like when it's finished."

"Wow, that's really nice," Hanna smiled genuinely, "What are you gonna do with it?"

"Anything I want to," He shrugged, "What would you do with it?"

Hanna pretended to think for a second. "Um, indoor miniature golf," She joked.

"No seriously," Lucas said, crossing his arms as he focused on Hanna, "What would you do? If somebody said that you could try anything, start your own business, what would you do?"

"Don't kid like that, Lucas," Hanna sighed.

"Who's kidding?"

Hanna thought for a moment, "Well, I would set myself up with some new designers, start my own brand. You know, get out of the city, away from all the distractions."

"Deal," Lucas nodded.

"What?" Hanna was shocked. Was Lucas really offering her what she thought he was?

"Look Hanna, I am going to be honest with you. Running into you wasn't a coincidence. Well, maybe tonight was, but I was in the city because I was going to call you tomorrow," He admitted, "I talked to your mom when I was in Rosewood and she told me that you lived up here and gave me your number. I wanted to talk to you about this. Research and development, it can mean whatever we say it means. This will be a good way for you to keep one foot in Rosewood, to figure out what you left behind."

"Lucas, I can't take you up on that offer," Hanna shook her head. As amazing as Lucas' offer sounded, she couldn't just ask Caleb to uproot his life in order for them to move back to Rosewood. It wouldn't be fair to him, not after what they had been through during the previous months.

"Why not? What, does somebody else you went to high school with want to offer you a million-dollar line of credit?" Lucas joked. Hanna stayed silent as he continued, "Come on Hanna. I finally figured out a way to give you something that nobody else can." Again, Hanna was speechless. Lucas sighed, "Look, the offer still stands. Ask Caleb about it. We can talk about it tomorrow, or whenever you want."

"Yeah, tomorrow," Hanna finally spoke with a soft smile.

* * *

Hanna's mind was racing the whole cab ride home. She couldn't believe what Lucas had told her. A chance to run her own business, with her own designs; it was everything that she had ever dreamed of. It felt almost too good to be true. Hanna knew that Lucas would do almost anything for her, but this was him going above and beyond what she expected from him. And what about Caleb and Stella? They were happy in New York. It's where their family was created, and it was her baby's first home. But Rosewood held many memories that Hanna cherished as well. It was a place that she had called home for eighteen years, it was where her mom was, and most importantly, it was where she and Caleb fell in love. Hanna had no clue what to do.

The cab pulled up outside Hanna and Caleb's apartment; Hanna stepped out into the unusually warm October night, before she made her way down the hallway, and was greeted by silence as she approached her apartment door. No TV, no screaming toddler. This was definitely not the 'welcome home' that she was used to, at least not at 7pm. Hanna unlocked and opened the door, immediately revealing to herself the reason for the lack of noise.

The apartment was completely dark, except for the blue light radiating from the TV screen, the result of a long forgotten DVD. Hanna carefully walked over to the end table in order to turn on a lamp – that's when she noticed the two sleepy figures occupying the couch. Caleb was lying on his back, stretch out across all of the cushions, one arm tucked behind his head. His other arm lay protectively over his daughter, who was curled up against his bare chest.

Hanna removed her heels and sat down in front of the couch, just watching the two of them sleep. The rise and fall of their chests almost mimicked one another's. Hanna couldn't resist reaching out to move a stray strand of blonde hair out of her daughter's face. Stella's cheeks were slightly red from the low grade fever that she still had. Hanna felt so helpless, just watching Stella suffer, but Ashley had reassured her many times that she was doing everything right, and that given a few days of rest and medicine, Stella would soon be back to her normal self.

Hanna's hand moved from her daughter's cheek, down her back, and finally came to a stop on her boyfriend's hand. Caleb inhaled deeply at the sudden feeling of warmth on top of his hand as he woke up.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you," Hanna whispered.

"It's ok. How long was I asleep?" Caleb yawned.

"I don't know, I just got home. Is she feeling any better?" Hanna asked as she ran her fingers through her daughter's hair once again.

Caleb sat up, keeping Stella close to his chest. "She ate almost half of her dinner, which was better than yesterday; I left you some fettuccine on the stove," He smiled at her, "I gave Stella her medicine, put _Frozen_ on, and she was out. Guess I must have fallen asleep too. What time is it?"

Hanna got up off of the floor and sat on the couch beside him. "It's just after seven. I left you a voicemail letting you know that I was gonna be a bit longer," She informed him.

"Yeah, I must have already been asleep by that point. Why did the meeting run so late?" He asked, though he could tell that there was something else on Hanna's mind. "Hey, is everything ok?" He enquired, placing his free hand on Hanna's knee.

"Yeah everything's fine," Hanna gave a slight smile. "Why don't you go and put Stella in her bed, and then we can talk."

"Ok," Caleb nodded before he leaned towards her and placed a light kiss on her lip. "I love you," He murmured softly, his face only inches away from hers.

"I love you too," She whispered back, her hand caressing the stubble on his cheek. Hanna lowered her face to kiss Stella on her forehead, which was now resting on Caleb's shoulder.

Caleb stood up gently so as to not wake Stella, and walked down the small hallway to the nursery. By the time he reemerged, after making a stop in his and Hanna's bedroom in order to throw a sweater on, Hanna had disappeared out of the living room. The open bottle of wine, which was now sitting on the kitchen island, and the open window at the far end of the room signaled to Caleb that Hanna was out on the fire escape. It was one of their favorite places to unwind after a long day at work. The scenic view from their fourth story apartment was one of the reasons for which they had chosen to live in their building. Caleb grabbed a beer from the refrigerator and made his way to the open window. As he climbed through it, he noticed that Hanna didn't even flinch at his presence, which meant that she was most likely deep in thought. He took a sip out of his bottle and placed it on the railing next to her empty wine glass. As he wrapped his arms around her waist, he felt her relax into him. He rested his chin on her shoulder as they stood in silence, soaking up the peaceful atmosphere.

Hanna brought her arms up to intertwine with his as they looked out at the city view. "Do you remember the first night that we spent together in this apartment?" She asked with a slight smile.

"How could I forget? What time did we even go to bed?" Caleb chuckled.

"I don't think we ever did. Between the excitement of moving in and the noisy street below, it was impossible to sleep," Hanna smiled at the memory.

Caleb tightened his arms around her as he breathed in her scent. "I remember that we spent most of the day setting the main room up perfectly, only to scratch the nice dining room table that your mom bought for us."

Hanna turned her head slightly to gaze at Caleb. "Hey, you were the one who lifted me up onto the table in an attempt to seduce me," She teased him.

"It worked, didn't it?" He laughed.

"Yes, it did," She beamed up at him, before pushing her lips onto his.

They both turned their attention back to the view in front of them. "So, are you going to miss living in New York?" He asked. Hanna's brow furrowed as she spun around to face him. Caleb chuckled slightly, "Hanna, ever since we got back from Rosewood, you've done nothing but compare the two towns. You've been talking about the memories we shared there, how different our lives would be if we had never left Rosewood… I think I've caught on, now."

"Yeah, I miss it a lot," She sighed, "It will always be home to me. We got out of there so fast after high school that we never realized what we were leaving behind. Since we've been back here, I've tried to push that feeling away, but now-" Hanna hesitated.

"Now what?" Caleb murmured as he cupped her cheek in his hand.

Hanna let out a sigh, and moved to sit on the metal stairs near the window. "After the meeting today, I ran into Lucas, literally. He told me that he was actually in New York to talk to me. He's got a lot of money now, apparently, and wants to buy the abandoned factory on Mills street."

"Ok? But what does that have to do with you?" Caleb asked; he was still trying to figure out where Hanna was going with her story.

"He wants to partner with me, and help me turn the building into my very own boutique," She informed him.

"Wow. That's quite an offer," Caleb nodded, "What did you tell him?"

Hanna shrugged her shoulders. "I didn't know what to say. I was too surprised. Out of all of the things he could have wanted to discuss with me, I never saw that one coming. I told him that I couldn't accept his offer, but he told me to talk to you about it and then give him a call tomorrow," She finished nervously.

Caleb lowered himself to the step below her and held her fidgeting hands in his. "Call him back tonight, and tell him you're accepting his offer."

"What?" Hanna's head shot up, her eyes meeting his.

"Hanna, I knew as soon as I met you that you had drive, and a passion for fashion. I knew when we moved here that you wouldn't let anything stand in your way. And I'm not going to stand in your way either," He told her.

"But it's not just about me anymore, Caleb," She sighed, "There's you and Stella, too. You've already cut back your hours at work for me, I can't ask you to quit your job. And Stella is so happy here."

"Babe, she's only two," He chuckled, "She's happy playing with her shadow on the wall. I think she'll be just fine. And don't worry about my job, I'll find something locally. We'll save a bunch of money on rent and transportation anyway, and just think of the endless babysitters that we would have."

"I guess it would be nice to live closer to my mom again," Hanna mused, "Spencer and Toby wouldn't be that far away in D.C, either."

"See, I can't think of one good reason why you should turn Lucas down," Caleb smiled as he stood up, before disappearing into the apartment and quickly returning with Hanna's cell phone in his hand. He held it out for Hanna to take. "Call him. I'm gonna refill your wine, and then we can celebrate," He smirked as grabbed her glass, and his now warm beer, and climbed back through the window.

After looking back in order to see whether or not Hanna was dialing Lucas' number, Caleb placed the drinks down on the kitchen counter, and made his way to the opposite end of the apartment. He first opened the door to Stella's room, and checked whether or not she was still sleeping peacefully. He then moved into the master bedroom, and walked over to the closet, where he pulled out a medium sized box labeled _Spare Computer Parts._ Caleb riffled through the cords and hard drive pieces until he found what he was looking for. Placing the box back into the closet, he shoved the object in his pocket, and exited the room. He wasn't sure what the rest of the night would hold for them, but something told him that the timing was right.

Caleb returned to the fire escape as Hanna was ending her phone call with Lucas.

"Ok, it's done," Hanna breathed out as she turned to face him with the biggest smile on her face, "We're really doing this, aren't we?"

"Yep, looks like it," He smiled back at her.

"Are you sure you're ok with this?" She questioned, nervously.

Caleb reached out, grabbing Hanna by the waist and pulling her towards him. "Hanna, can you stop asking me that? You are grinning from ear to ear. How can I not be ok with this?" He murmured, "All I have ever wanted is for you to be happy, and for you to fulfill your dreams."

Hanna wrapped her arms around Caleb's neck, "What about you? What can I do make you happy, and to fulfill your dreams?" She asked him.

Caleb released his hold on Hanna, and reached into his pocket. With a deep breath, he knelt down on the metal grates, looking up at Hanna as he pulled out the contents of his pocket. "Well, you could be my wife," He murmured as he opened the small box to reveal an engagement ring, with a single, white gold diamond. The same ring that he had held on to since Hanna's twenty-second birthday. "Hanna Olivia Marin, will you marry me?"

As soon as Hanna had seen Caleb getting down on one knee, she had known what was about to happen, yet her brain was still having trouble processing what was going on. Her hands instantly went to cover her mouth as multiple tears fell from her eyes.

"I know this isn't a candlelit dinner, or a walk in Central Park," Caleb continued, "But standing here with you under the night sky… I couldn't think of a better moment to ask you."

Hanna shook her head as more tears began to fall, "No, it's perfect."

"So is that a yes?" Caleb raised his eyebrow.

"Yes," Hanna laughed, grabbing Caleb's face and pulling him up towards her. Their bodies crashed against one another's, their mouths connecting as they kissed passionately. When they parted, Caleb grabbed her left hand, and placed the diamond ring on her finger.

Hanna held her hand up in order to inspect the new piece of jewelry. "It's beautiful, Caleb," She whispered as she looked around, noticing that Caleb was now empty-handed. "Where's the wine that we were supposed to celebrate with?"

"Oh, I completely forgot," He chuckled, "What do you say we go inside, and find another way to celebrate?" He teased.

Hanna raised an eyebrow, "I like the way you think, Mr. Rivers."

They made their way back through the window, Caleb going first. Hanna grabbed ahold of his hand as he guided her back into the apartment, but before she was able to step down off of the window sill, Caleb slid his arm under her legs, lifting her into his arms.

"You know, you're not supposed to carry me like this until after the wedding," She joked.

"I know," He smiled down at her, "I'm just practicing."

"You want to practice the wedding night to?" Hanna asked seductively.

Caleb tilted his head to the side, giving her a questioning look, "After seven years, you still think I need practice?"

"No, you most definitely don't," Hanna murmured as she looked into Caleb's eyes, knowing that he was just as eager to be one with her as she was with him.

Caleb tightened his grip on her back, pushing her body closer to him, and giving him better access to her mouth. His lips hovered in front of hers, and he heard Hanna's breathing start to speed up in anticipation as he teased her. Not wanting to wait for any longer, Caleb parted his lips, connecting them with hers. His tongue entered her mouth, and her teeth parted in order to grant him access. Hanna gently cupped his face as they changed their kissing pattern to a series of kisses smaller kisses; meanwhile, Caleb was taking small steps in a direction that she couldn't distinguish due to the fact that her eyes were closed.

Preoccupied by his need to please Hanna, Caleb's blind navigation skills failed him, and his calf bumped into the arm of the couch, sending him and Hanna backwards onto the cushions. They both erupted in laughter as she buried her face into his neck. "You don't look practiced to me," Hanna commented as she lifted her head back up.

In one swift move, Caleb gripped Hanna around the waist, and rolled her over so that she was beneath him. "You were saying?" Caleb teased as he dipped his head down, continuing from where he had left off before their tumble. His lips gradually moved down to Hanna's jaw, then to her neck, before making their way down to right above her cleavage.

Her head fell back as he did so, a moan slipping from her lips. Her hands ran down Caleb's back and up again, into his hair. Hanna could feel his weight shifting above her as he moved further down her body, before tugging at the zipper of Hanna's dress, revealing even more of her breasts to him. His lips grazed over her newly exposed skin; the smell of her perfume, which she had sprayed earlier that day, still lingered on her chest. The scent alone was enough make Caleb feel intoxicated.

Hanna took the opportunity to slide her arms out of her dress, before pushing it down to her waist. Then, her fingers latched on to the hem of Caleb's sweater.

Caleb immediately understood Hanna's intentions, and rose up onto his knees, straddling her thighs. He removed his sweater, never taking his eyes off of the beauty beneath him; her gaze was filled with passion and desire. He was only away from her for a few seconds, but it felt like an eternity. Before Caleb was able to fall back onto her and feel complete once again, he slid off of the couch in order to discard the clothing that adorned his lower half. Hanna did the same with her dress, tossing it over to the corner of the room.

Not wanting to waste any more time, Hanna reached out, before grabbing Caleb's hand, and pulling him back to her. She drew his head down towards her as his mouth quickly reclaimed hers with a fierce yearning that aroused her. With nothing else in the way, Caleb pulled his head back and lowered himself into her. Hanna bit her bottom lip, letting out a soft moan as she felt Caleb move inside her. Her eyes were closed as she took in every moment of the ecstasy she was feeling, but she could tell that his face was only centimeters away from hers. His hot breath against her ear make goosebumps erupt all over her body.

Caleb could feel Hanna's heart beating rapidly beneath him. Her body pressed into him with every thrust, her arms moving wildly, searching for something to grab on to. He caught her by the wrists, before wrapping his fingers around them, and bringing them above her head. Their lips continually searched for one another's, their legs intertwined, their bodies moving completely in sync. The electricity in the air felt magnified. Caleb unlaced his fingers from one of Hanna's hands, before reaching up to pull the throw from the back of the couch down, covering them up as they continued to celebrate the next chapter of their lives together.

* * *

Hanna and Caleb's celebration extended well into the night. The sexual union had moved to the bedroom, along with the bottle of wine. The room, which had previously been dimly lit in order to set the mood, was now bright due to the morning sun shining in through the window. Hanna had been lying awake for almost an hour now; she had propped herself up against the headboard, as Caleb lay sleeping with his arm across her midsection. She couldn't stop staring at the diamond that graced her finger. She had dreamed of this moment since she and Caleb had started dating. Hanna chuckled to herself as she thought of how their relationship had been the total opposite of traditional; they had lived together before they had even begun dating, then they had had a baby, and now they were getting married. She couldn't complain though. Despite all of the ups and downs, Hanna wouldn't take any of it back.

The bedroom door rattled and creaked open as Stella strolled into the room. She had gotten better at staying in her own bed during the night, but still liked to join her parents in the morning. They had swapped her crib for a toddler bed a few weeks back, fearing that Stella would injure herself climbing over the railing of her crib. The realization that their 'baby' was no longer a baby had saddened Hanna.

She held her finger up to her lips as the toddler made her way over to the bed, before lifting her up and sitting her on her lap. As she brushed the blonde bed-hair out of Stella's eyes, she felt her forehead in order to find out whether her temperature was finally going back to normal. "Does your tummy hurt anymore, baby?" Hanna asked her daughter.

Stella shook her head. She seemed to be occupied, watching Caleb sleep. There was no doubt in Hanna's mind that she was a daddy's girl. "Daddy's noisy," Stella giggled at Caleb's soft snores.

"He is, isn't he?" Hanna smiled, "How about we wake him up and eat some breakfast?"

"Yep!" The toddler exclaimed. Stella climbed off of Hanna's lap, before launching herself onto Caleb's side of the bed. He woke up instantly, and looked down at his daughter, who was now draped over his side.

"I see someone's feeling better," He said, poking Stella. She rolled off of him, onto the mattress between him and Hanna in a fit of giggles. Caleb, still laying on his side, glanced up at Hanna as she leaned over to give him a kiss.

"Good morning, future hubby," She smiled at him.

"Good morning, future wifey," He replied. "So, big night last night, huh? Which news should we break to everyone first? We don't want anyone to have a heart attack."

Hanna shot him a guilty look. "Well I kind of already texted the girls. You know that we can't keep secrets." Caleb raised an eyebrow at her. "From each other," Hanna teased.

"You know, I was thinking," Caleb said, sitting up, "Your mom and Ted are redoing the house in order to put it on the market. What do you think about buying it? It's got plenty of room, a back yard for Stella, and it's in a great neighborhood."

"That actually sounds like a great idea," Hanna nodded, "It's the perfect house to raise our children in."

"Children? Is there something I should know?" Caleb asked, glancing down at Hanna's stomach.

Hanna laughed, "I'm on the pill remember? But maybe one day. I don't want Stella to grow up an only child."

Stella looked up at her parents at the mention of her name. She crawled across the bed, back over to her mom, and Hanna pulled her into a hug. "How did we get so lucky?" She murmured.

"Just wait until she's a teenager. If she's anything like us at that age, we are in so much trouble," Caleb warned Hanna.

"You're not going to chase all of her boyfriends away with a bat are you?" Hanna questioned him.

"What boyfriends? There will be no dating under my roof," He joked.

"Well, if she's anything like her mother, then you might want to remember one thing," Hanna smiled at him.

"And what's that?" He asked.

"Remember to check the basement," Hanna smirked as she got up out of the bed with Stella in her arms. "Now come on, let's get some breakfast."


	5. Home Again

2 years later

The bell chimed as Caleb walked into the front of Rivers Rose Boutique. Now that Hanna was officially a Rivers, she wanted to share it with the world, and naming her store after it was the perfect way to do that. Adding Rose was a nod to her hometown, Hanna had said. Caleb thought that the inside of the boutique looked amazing. There were racks of clothing dotted about, displaying both Hanna's collections and those from other small designers. There was even a section of the boutique for accessories and jewelry; Hanna had wanted to make that sure all of the bases of fashion were covered. The decor of the room had taken Hanna the longest to choose; the walls were painted light coral, and the fixtures and accents were all in gold, including the crystal chandelier that hung from the center of the room. Caleb couldn't believe how many decisions went into decorating a boutique, but he couldn't have been more proud of what Hanna had accomplished.

Caleb walked up to the sales counter, noting the few customers browsing the store. "Hey Keri, is Hanna around?" He asked Hanna's sales associate. Now that the word was getting around about Hanna's designs, she had become quite in demand, meaning that she'd had to hire a few girls to help her run the main area of the boutique.

"Hey Caleb, yeah, she's upstairs in the workroom," The girl nodded.

"Thanks," Caleb smiled, making his way up the stairs at the back of the store. The old factory had been so big that Hanna had been able to turn the whole second floor into a workroom, her very own studio. If it wasn't for him and Stella waiting for her at home, Caleb didn't think that she would ever leave. He approached the doorway to the workroom to find Hanna hard at work on Spencer's wedding dress, which was laid out in front of her. He stood in silence as he watched his wife work. Her lips were pressed together, and she was holding a pin between them as her brow furrowed in concentration. A piece of hair fell loose from her messy bun, but she quickly swept it away with the back of her hand.

With the rehearsal dinner being that night, Hanna, along with the other girls, were in full preparation mode. It reminded him of only a year and a half prior to that moment, when they had been planning for their own wedding. Caleb had watched Hanna obsess over all the little details; their house had been filled to the rim with wedding decor and fabric samples, on top of the supplies that Hanna had already gathered for the boutique. Even though they had planned a small private wedding, the budget and guest list had seemed to increase by the minute. But in the end, none of that had really mattered. He and Hanna had finally become man and wife; a prospect which Caleb still couldn't fathom.

Hanna looked up to see Caleb watching her from afar. She pulled the pin from between her lips, a smile instantly forming on her face. "I thought you had a meeting this afternoon at the hotel?" She asked as Caleb entered the room.

"Well, it turns out that the meeting was canceled, so now I have the whole afternoon free," He mumbled as he pulled her into a hug.

Since moving back to Rosewood and quitting his job, Caleb had found a new job working at The Radley. There had been an issue with the current security system, so Ashley had hired Caleb to upgrade it, along with sorting out any other electronic issue that might have arisen. The flexible hours that he was given made it perfect for him and Hanna, with her running in and out of meetings with investors, and Stella in preschool.

Hanna wrapped her arms around her husband's neck. "Mmm, lucky me," She stood on her toes, brushing her lips against his, "Sorry I've been so busy this week. I've missed you."

"I've missed you too," He murmured, "It was no fun waking up to a half-cold bed this morning," He pouted.

"Sorry, I wanted to get here as early as possible to finish the final touches," She apologized. Caleb moved behind Hanna as she returned to the mannequin, his arms encompassing her waist. "It's so much easier to work when you don't hear the bustling of the customers downstairs. It's very distracting."

"Stop apologizing," Hanna heard Caleb murmur from behind her, followed by a wetness on the nape of her neck. She knew that he wasn't actually paying attention to what she was saying. Her body felt like it was melting as his lips continued to suck at her skin.

"Speaking of distractions, Caleb. Spencer's going to kill me if I don't get this done," She mumbled.

"Hanna, you have all afternoon to finish. I don't have to pick Stella up for another three hours, so let's… take advantage… of this moment… alone," Caleb said between his kisses, which had now made their way down to the front of Hanna's neck. His hands slowly rotated Hanna by her hips until she faced him once more. Caleb then hoisted her up onto the table to the right of her.

Hanna legs instinctively encircled Caleb's waist, settling him between her thighs, her heart already beginning to race. Hanna dissolved with pleasure as their lips met, their kissed becoming more vigorous with each connection.

Caleb's hands moved from around her waist to Hanna's front, working the buttons of her blouse until her bra and abdomen were fully exposed. His finger traced the lacy fabric surrounding her breasts. When his hands made their way down to rest on her thighs, Hanna sat up straighter, pressing her torso against his, feeling his breathing becoming ragged due to the contact. The hardness in his jeans had become more apparent to her as well. Caleb pressed back up against her, their bodies almost fighting for dominance; Hanna let him win, placing her hands behind her for support as she leaned back. Caleb's hands moved further up her thighs, under her skirt, until his fingertips grazed the hem of her panties.

Hanna broke the kiss in order to catch her breath, when the sound of heels clicking down the hall caught her attention and she sat up abruptly, startling Caleb. "Shit, someone's coming," She said, breathless. Caleb helped her down from the table as she straightened her skirt and began refastening the button on her top. Spencer came into view as Hanna finished closing her blouse.

Spencer noticed the appearance of the couple in front of her, being able to take a pretty good guess at what they had been up to just moments before. "Ok, I think I liked it better when we lived in separate states and I didn't have to worry about walking in on you two," The brunette said, "By the way Caleb, that's a nice shade of lipstick on you."

Caleb wiped his mouth, giving Spencer a pointed look. "Can we actually help you with something?"

"Well, I came to pick up your wife for our spa appointment with the girls," Spencer said, turning her attention to Hanna.

"Oh my gosh, I completely forgot," Hanna exclaimed, "I was so focused on your dress and then Caleb showed up and-"

"And I think she gets it from there," Caleb interrupted her, "You guys go have your girly time. I'll make myself useful somewhere until I have to pick Bug up."

"You sure you don't want to come with us?" Hanna asked him.

"No thank you. I do not need my nails painted for everyone to see at a wedding," He chuckled.

"Ok, suit yourself," Hanna smirked as she gave Caleb a quick peck on the lips before walking towards the door, and Spencer. "Love you, babe," She called over her shoulder.

* * *

"About time you two," Aria called out as Hanna and Spencer made their way into the spa.

"It's Hanna fault. I practically had to peel her away from Caleb," Spencer smirked, shrugging her shoulders.

Emily scrunched her nose up, "I did not need that picture in my head."

"I don't even want to think about what I would have seen if I had been a few seconds earlier," Spencer pondered.

"Can we talk about anything other than my sex life? Please and thank you," Hanna stated, rolling her eyes.

"Ok, let's talk about how beautiful Spencer is going to be as a bride tomorrow," Aria offered as the four girls made their way to the chairs in order to start their pedicures.

"Ugh you guys, don't make me cry. I'm already a nervous wreck," Spencer admitted, "I don't know how I'm going to get through the rehearsal, let alone the actual wedding."

As the others began chatting about the festivities that awaited them the next day, Hanna's mind wandered back to when she was nervous about her impending nuptials to Caleb. They had only been living back in Rosewood for three months when they were married in the Rosewood chapel in front of theirs friends and family. Hanna had always pictured herself having a big New York wedding, but now that she and Caleb were older and had already started a family of their own, a small hometown wedding seemed more their style. Of course, Aria, Emily, and Spencer had been her bridesmaids, with Toby and Lucas as Caleb's groomsmen. At just short of three years old at the time, Stella had served as the flower girl.

Despite the normal wedding hiccups, everything had gone smoothly. Apart from Stella's birth, it had been the happiest day of Hanna and Caleb's lives.

"Right, Hanna?" Emily's question brought Hanna out of her thoughts.

"Huh?" Hanna asked, flustered.

"You're not still thinking about Caleb are you?" Spencer teased, "I swear, I thought marriage was supposed to kill your sex life, but you two seem to be as into each other as you were when you were in high school."

"Yeah, you guys keep this up and you'll have baby number two in no time," Aria chimed in.

"Wait, what about baby number two?" Spencer questioned.

Hanna sighed. She had wanted to wait until after the wedding to let Spencer in on the news. She had accidentally let it slip to Aria the night before at the bachelorette party, but she had hoped that the alcohol would have caused her to forget. Hanna turned towards Spencer, "I didn't want to say anything yet, because I didn't want you to think that I was stealing your thunder… but Caleb and I are trying for another baby."

Spencer smiled and reached out to hug Hanna. "Don't worry about me, I'm so happy for you two. At least that explains why you were the soberest of us all last night."

"Thanks," Hanna smiled. It felt great to finally get it out into the open. "Just don't say anything to Caleb yet. He wanted to keep it between us until we had actual news to share."

"Promise," Spencer replied with a nod of her head.

"I'm just glad that I moved back to town so that I'll get to see all of your babies grow up. Maybe this kid will like the water more than Stella and I can coach them when they get to Rosewood High," Emily pondered.

"Guess I should move back to Rosewood too," Aria added, "Can't have you two competing for the best Auntie title without me."

"Slow down everyone, I just said that we're trying. I'm not pregnant yet," Hanna stated, "But Aria, it would be great if you moved back to town too. Maybe give you and Jason a shot as well. I've seen the way you two have been watching each other lately," Hanna attempted to shift the conversation away from her once again.

Spencer's eyes widened in realization, "If you two got married, that would make you my sister-in-law."

"It's a shame that me and Ali never worked out, I could have joined the family too," Emily said, sadly.

"You never know, Em. Anything could happen," Aria placed her hand on Emily's shoulder in the hopes of comforting her.

"Wait, that would mean that I would be the only one not related to you all," Hanna pouted.

"You could always steal Mike from Mona and be my sister in-law," Aria pointed out.

"Absolutely not. Friends don't steal other friends' boyfriends. And plus, my hubby is too delicious to give up," Hanna smirked.

"Ok girls, enough with the guy talk. We are here to relax, beautify ourselves, and enjoy Spencer's last day as a single woman," Aria raised her glass of complimentary champagne, "To Spencer."

"To Spencer," Hanna and Emily joined in.

* * *

Once the wedding pampering was complete, Spencer dropped Hanna back off at River Rose. Looking at the clock, Hanna realized that she had just enough time to finish Spencer's dress, and then run home to get ready for the rehearsal dinner. Hanna sat down on the stool in front of the mannequin, but her mind was still on the conversation that she'd had with the girls just a few hours before. She and Caleb had always intended on having more than one child. Moving from a small two-bedroom apartment in busy Manhattan to a two-story family home in the quiet suburbs of Rosewood, it was hard for Hanna and Caleb not to think about expanding their family. Both of them knew all too well the loneliness of growing up without a sibling. As much as Hanna didn't want too much of an age gap between their children, she and Caleb decided to wait until after the boutique had opened to start trying for another baby. Hanna imagined that Stella would be a great big sister; she loved to help Hanna around the house with folding laundry or setting the table. Hanna knew that Caleb would hope to have a son of his own one day, to teach him all of the things that his dad was never able to. Not that he wouldn't be happy with another girl, though. Hanna laughed at the thought of Caleb being the only guy, especially during the teen years. At least she would have constant help at the store if they were to have another daughter.

Hanna sighed, and refocused her mind on the dress in front of her. She was so happy that her friends were getting married; if anyone deserved a happily ever after, it was Toby and Spencer. After all, who knows where she and Caleb would have ended up if their friends hadn't talked some sense into them during their tumultuous spat a couple of years prior.

After another forty-five minutes of working, Hanna stood back to observe her work. Satisfied, she carefully removed the ivory gown from the mold, and placed it in a garment bag. Hanna then retrieved four garment bags from the rack, which contained the pale yellow bridesmaids' dresses, and took them down to her car. She would be taking them with her to the lodge tonight so that they would be ready for the girls to get into first thing in the morning.

Hanna pulled into the driveway of her and Caleb's home; it still felt weird, calling it that. Even though they had moved in the January after accepting Lucas' offer, Hanna still thought of it as her mom's house. She still feared that her mother was going catch her and Caleb having sex upstairs in the 'no boy zone', not that it had ever stopped them when they were teenagers. Stella loved having a back yard to play in; Toby and Caleb had even built a swing set out there. Sometimes Hanna couldn't get her to come back inside for the evening.

Walking into the house, Hanna tossed her keys into the dish, and glanced around for her daughter and husband.

"Anybody home?" She called out. Hanna heard the sound of a door opening, followed by tiny footsteps, before a blonde head appeared at the top of the stairs.

"Hi Mommy!" Stella said with excitement, "We're getting ready for the party."

"You are? Where is your daddy?" Hanna made her way up the stairs to join Stella.

"He's taking a shower," The four-year-old shrugged her shoulders, turning to walk towards the master bedroom, Hanna following close behind. When both girls reached the room, Stella climbed onto the king size bed, and grabbed the small dress which was laid out on top of the comforter. She held up the light pink dress with a white cardigan to show Hanna. "Daddy said I get to wear this dress. He said I'll look just like a princess."

"You know," Hanna sat at the head of the bed, joining Stella, "Your daddy used to call me a princess too."

"How come you're not his princess anymore?" Stella asked, concerned.

"Because now Mommy gets to be the queen," Caleb appeared in the doorway of the bedroom, running the towel in his hands over his wet hair. He was now dressed in boxers and a t-shirt.

"And we live in a castle," Stella added.

Caleb moved to sit at the end of the bed beside his daughter. "Sure, we can live in a castle with talking animals and have flying ponies too."

"You're silly, Daddy," Stella giggled.

Hanna laughed at Caleb's enthusiasm as he discussed the fairy tale with Stella. "I've got the evil Stepmother covered," She joined in.

"You have the evil Stepsister as well," Caleb pointed out.

Hanna rolled her eyes, "Ugh, don't remind me."

"Daddy, does that mean that you're a prince?" Stella enquired.

"No, I am the king," Caleb corrected her, "And as the king, I think I should give my princess the task of going to play in your room while me and and the queen get ready for the party. Ok?"

"Ok Daddy," She nodded.

Caleb watched as Stella climbed down from bed and walked out into the hallway. From the other side of the bed, Hanna's phone began to ring. He turned back around to see Hanna rolling her eyes as she glanced at the called ID. Caleb took the opportunity to return to the bathroom in order to finish getting ready. He was just about finished shaving when Hanna joined him in the bathroom, now dressed only in her floral robe. She approached him from behind, and rested her head against his back, her hand grazing his stomach under his shirt.

"Let me guess. Spencer was on the phone," Caleb said.

Hanna let out a sigh, "I swear, this is the third time that she's called me since we were at the spa earlier. She wanted to make sure that I packed her dress to bring tonight. I've been focused on nothing but her dress for the past month. There's no way that I could forget it."

Caleb continued to listen to his wife's rant as he wiped the remaining shaving cream off of his chin.

"I guess I should have expected this, though," She shrugged, "She's always been such a perfectionist. Thank goodness I was never that bad." The chuckle that sounded from Caleb's mouth did not go unnoticed by Hanna. She stood back from him, removing her arm from around him. "What was that for?"

A smile was still playing upon Caleb's lips as he moved to face her. "Do you not remember chewing your mom's head off for setting the tables at the reception with off-white linens instead of ivory linens? Aren't they basically the same color?"

"Seriously?" Hanna crossed her arms, "You're asking someone who studied fashion for four years about color difference?"

"Ok, fair point. But it didn't matter in the end, did it? We got married and the guests were none the wiser about the table covers," He smiled.

"No, it didn't matter. I just wanted our special day to be perfect," Hanna pouted.

Caleb stifled another laugh, "That is the most cliché thing that a bride could say about her wedding. And besides, you had Stella and I, your mom, Ted, and the girls. What else did you need to make the day perfect?" He asked as his hand rose up to caress her cheek. After everything that they had dealt with in their teens, with -A ruining their lives, he couldn't blame Hanna for wanting everything to go right for once.

Hanna wrapped her hand around his, which was still resting on the side of her face. Glancing up at him, she knew that he was right. "Nothing. I had everything I needed," She admitted, a grin spreading across her lips. Hanna moved her hand to the back of his neck, pulling his head closer to hers in order to place a soft kiss on his lips. Her mouth lingered in front of his for a moment, the warm breaths coming from between his parted lips making hers tingle a little. Reuniting their mouths once more, Hanna deepened the kiss, satisfying her need for intimacy after their activities were cut short earlier that day. Her balance shifted as he led their conjoined bodies closer to the shower. She released the grip of her left arm around his neck, reaching behind her to move the curtain.

With a heated shudder, Caleb gripped her shoulders, and pulled back slightly, his breathing ragged as he held her at bay. "Hanna, you know that if we do this, we're going to be late?"

Their foreheads still pressed together, Hanna met his gaze with an enticing stare, her breathing as shallow as his, "So?" She stepped further back from Caleb, and turned towards the shower. Her fingers grasped the silky ties on the front of her robe, yanking them in opposite directions. Hanna looked over her shoulder at Caleb as the garment slid off of her body. "You getting in or not?"

Caleb couldn't help but take in her nude silhouette; the close proximities of their bodies in the small bathroom only made it harder to resist her offer. His eyes followed every captivating movement that she made until she disappeared behind the curtain. Unable fight his urges, Caleb discarded his clothing and joined Hanna under the water for his second shower of the day. Being a few minutes late wouldn't hurt anybody, he thought.


	6. Memories of Us

With the last of the families heading home, only the wedding party remained at the stables after the wedding rehearsal and dinner. Ashley had taken Stella home with her and Ted, giving Hanna and Caleb a night to themselves. The eight adults, including Jason and Toby's partner, Lorenzo, were gathered out on the back patio of the lodge around the fire.

"So, what did I miss?" Hanna asked, rejoining the group after returning from the restroom. She was opting to make a place on Caleb's lap instead of her previous seat. She draped her arm across his shoulders as she felt his arm snake around her hip.

"Toby was just updating us on how the house building was coming," Lorenzo informed her.

"Well, I was hoping it would be ready to move in after we got back from our honeymoon, but the main water line keeps acting up. I might just have to give up and call a plumber," Toby said, disappointed.

"Living in the barn isn't too bad though," Spencer added "Except for the fact that we are living out of boxes until we are able to unpack at the new house."

"I'm so excited for you two," Aria spoke up. "You're getting married and getting a house. It's like you're officially adults now."

"Ugh, Aria. You make us sound so old and boring," Spencer groaned.

Hanna laughed. "Just wait until you add a kid to the mix. Your life will be anything but boring. The highlight of my week was getting all my grocery shopping done without Stella throwing a tantrum in the middle of the store. When she's not having a meltdown, she is bouncing off the wall. Sometimes I wish she came with an off switch."

"And you still want more kids?" Aria asked.

Hanna smiled down at Caleb. "What can I say? We make cute babies." She gently kissed him on the cheek before adjusting to lay her head on his shoulder. Hanna was enjoying this moment with Caleb. She planned on taking advantage of that any chance they got. Especially since they were trying to expand their family. It would be awhile before they had time alone again.

"Let's just get through the wedding and then we can talk kids," Spencer compromised.

"So are you excited for the big day tomorrow?" Emily asked, changing the subject.

Spencer thought for a moment "Yeah, excited and a bit nervous. I just worry something is inevitably going to go wrong."

"Something will go wrong, Spence," Hanna advised.

Toby raised his eyebrow. "Um, aren't you supposed to be sending us well wishes, Hanna? Not scaring us about our wedding and future children."

Hanna rolled her eyes. "I just mean, that's how weddings work. They never go smoothly. It's like one final test. But once you are up there in front of everyone, the hiccups will seem pointless."

"Wow Hanna, that was pretty profound," Emily complimented.

"Well, that's why I got married. So that I can pass on all my wisdom on to you lovely ladies," Hanna said.

"Then what was I? Chopped liver?" Caleb exclaimed from beneath her.

Hanna grinned at him, "Nah, you were just the consolation prize."

Caleb shook his head with a laugh. "Good luck, Toby," he said looking across the fire at his friend.

"But in all seriousness, all that matters is that you marry the love of your life and get to spend the rest of your life with them," Hanna concluded.

"Thanks Han," Spencer smiled at her.

Hanna relaxed once again into Caleb as she moved her left hand to rest on top of his. Even after almost two years of marriage, she could never get over how the metal band that graced his ring finger felt against her skin. It was a constant reminder of the life they shared together and how far they had come.

The conversations had carried on until close midnight. Lorenzo had been the first to leave, needing rest prior to working the early morning shift before the wedding. Since the engaged couple had to spend their night separated, Emily had left with Spencer, promising to keep her company through the night since they all knew Spencer's nerves would prevent her from sleeping. Toby had since retreated to his family cabin for the night. The only ones that remained next to the dwindling fire with Caleb and Hanna were Aria and Jason, who seemed to be off in their own world, flirting and what not. Caleb was pretty sure Hanna was close to falling asleep, curled up against him. He ran his fingers through her blonde curls as he took in the stillness of the night.

"Han," he whispered, trying to gain her attention. He heard a slight mumble from her mouth, signaling she was still awake. "You ready to go home?" he asked her.

She shook her head, burying her face deeper into his neck. "I don't want to move. I'm too comfortable."

"So I guess you don't want to take advantage of us having the house to ourselves tonight?" he enticed her.

Hanna's face lifted to meet his stare, her eyes slightly heavy. Seeing his mischievous grin was all it took for her to comply with his request. She let out a deep sigh as she lifted herself from his embrace. Caleb rose from his position as well, stretching his arms above his head. Hanna turned to the remaining guests to announce their departure, only to find Aria and Jason wrapped in each other's embrace, their lips united.

Hanna and Caleb left their friends in peace and got in the car to head home. "Guess this wedding brings out the romance in everyone." Caleb said.

"Tell me about it. I've been so emotional lately because it keeps reminding me of our wedding. It makes me realize how lucky I am to have you."

Caleb reached across the center console, taking her hand in his. He paused for a moment before asking Hanna a question that had been on his mind most of the night. "Does it make you wish-"

"Absolutely not," Hanna interrupted without hesitation.

Caleb shifted his gaze from the road, puzzled by her quick response, "How did you know-"

"What you were going to ask?" Hanna cut him off again. "Because I know you and I'm not going to let you put those negative thoughts in your head. Seeing Spencer and Toby pull out all the stops for their wedding does not make me wish we had done the same for ours. All I wanted was for us to finally be official. It didn't matter where it happened or who was there to witness. I would have married you in a tent in the middle of the woods if you had asked. As long as I had you and Stella, it was perfect. Don't you think for a second that I would have it any other way."

Hearing Hanna's response gave Caleb a sense of guilt for even doubting her desires. He parked the jeep in the drive and turned to face her. "I'm sorry Han. I shouldn't have brought it up. It's just hearing the two of them talk about the big wedding, honeymoon and the house he is building her by hand, made me regret not having done any of those things for you."

Hanna hated when Caleb got down on himself. She knew it stemmed from his childhood, having his loved ones abandon him. He always wanted to guarantee that she and Stella never felt that way.

"Follow me," Hanna directed. She squeezed his hand that still held hers and exited out the car door. She appeared immediately next to the driver door, waiting for him to join her.

Caleb got out of the jeep and followed her as requested. He expected her to lead him up the front path but instead, she cut across the yard, escorting him to the back porch. When they reached the back door, she took the keys from his grasp, unlocking the door and pulling him through the threshold. Once inside, Hanna grabbed both of his hands in hers and positioned the two of them in front of the kitchen island.

"Do you remember what happened in the spot we are standing?" Hanna quizzed him.

"How can I forget? It's where we shared our first kiss." Caleb cupped Hanna's cheek, bringing her closer to him when she placed her hands on his chest, stopping him.

"Not yet." She grabbed his arm and shifted their bodies two feet to the right. "And here is where you told me for the first time that you loved me."

Before Caleb had a chance to respond, she grabbed his arm once again, dragging him in the direction of the front entryway. "This spot right here, this is where you said that you had a very good reason not to stay with your mom in California and I realized that I never wanted to let you go."

"Hanna what are you saying?" he asked, waiting for Hanna to get to the point, though he figured he knew where she was headed.

"I am saying, Caleb, that Toby may have built their house with his bare hands, but our home holds so much more meaning and no one could ever take away those memories."

Caleb sighed, bringing Hanna to his chest and wrapping his arms around her back. Her head laid against him, pressed to his heart. They stood in silence for a moment, content in each other's embrace, until a memory struck Caleb's mind. "Do you know that one thing I remember about the spot we are standing in?" he questioned her.

Hanna parted slightly from Caleb's grip to get a proper view of him as she spoke, "Let me guess, when you decided to come to the front door and introduce yourself to my mother? You know, I should have killed you for that. I got lectured all night long about how my mom didn't trust you and didn't want me alone in the house with you. It's funny to think now that sometimes she seems to like you more than she likes me."

Caleb laughed at her recollection of the moment that seemed so long ago. "No, that's not the memory I am thinking of but very close." He shifted his hands to each side of Hanna's waist, escorting her three steps up on the staircase. Caleb positioned himself slightly on the opposite side of the railing before resuming his account of events, "It was the first night after our _first night_ and you're mom had miraculously allowed me to stay in the guest room. You walked up the stairs in your purple pajamas but not before leaning down to give me a good night kiss. I wanted so badly to follow you up to your room to give you a proper goodnight but I knew your mom would definitely kill me for that."

Hanna smiled down at Caleb and leaned over the railing to place a kiss on his lips. The exact same way she had done eight years prior. "I love that memory", she said softly. "Care to give me a proper good night kiss now?"

Caleb slowly moved around the banister to join Hanna on the stairs. He immediately captured her lips in his, deepening the kiss until he heard a tender moan escape from Hanna's throat, knowing he was on his way to satisfying her. The couple moved with ease up the staircase, shedding their evening attire as they made their way to the second level. By the time Hanna and Caleb had reached the bedroom, they had completely disrobed one another. Caleb pressed forward against his wife, guiding her to the side of their bed. He couldn't even be bothered to pull back the covers as he lowered Hanna down onto the mattress. Once they were both fully on the bed, Hanna began gliding her finger down the base of Caleb's back, touching every dimple that she knew by heart. With each kiss, their bodies grew more enamored but Caleb was hesitant to lead on until he cleared his conscience of the memory that still weighed on his mind. He dug both of his hands into the mattress and rose above Hanna, pulling his lips apart from hers. Caleb's hazel eyes remained lost in her blue ones, his breath still ragged as he tried to find the right words to say.

"Hanna, there's something you should know about that night on the stairs," he began.

It was in the new light that Hanna noticed Caleb's alluring expression had changed into a somber one. Whatever he was holding back, Hanna knew it was torturing him. She placed her small hand on his broad shoulder and nodded for him to continue.

"It wasn't the kiss that I remembered the most. After you were upstairs, I went to the kitchen to tell your mom goodnight as well. It was the first time that she told me to call her Ashley. When she left the room, I just stood there for a moment, thinking. There was this beautiful girl upstairs that I had shared every detail about my past to. Details that would normally scare people away, but not you. You trusted me enough to invite me into your home when everyone warned you not to. You told me things about yourself that you had never admitted to anyone before. I had never known someone like you before. I knew you were special the moment I laid eyes on you and I couldn't bear the thought of losing you. So I went outside, right then and there, and called Jenna to tell her I was done. I wish I could turn back time so I would have never met her. Hurting you was the biggest mistake of my life." Caleb looked down at Hanna and noticed a tear falling from the corner of her eye. He moved his hand from beside her to wipe the moisture away from her cheek. "I'm sorry. I totally killed the mood, didn't I? Damn it, Hanna Rivers. You've made me go soft over the years." Caleb laughed, resting on his left arm as he moved to lie on his side.

Hanna shifted her bare body until she was close enough to him that he felt his warmth again. "Don't blame me. I think you went soft the day Stella was born," Hanna grinned. "And as for the heartache, Caleb, I wouldn't change any of it. It made us who we are. Through the good, the bad and the A-ness of it all."

Caleb rolled his eyes at Hanna's Freudian slip, "Bad use of the word, sweetie, but you're right, and not just about this. What you said earlier, about this house being full of our memories. It's more than that to me. It's the first place that I ever felt what it was like to have a family and to be loved. I couldn't think of a better place to raise a family with you."

"Speaking of our family -", Hanna gleamed, pushing Caleb onto his back and settling herself between his hips. Caleb folded his hands under his head as he gazed up at the blonde that was now straddling him. Hanna leaned forward with her long hair cascading over her shoulder. "I think I remember you promising me that we were going to take full advantage of having the house to ourselves?"


	7. Passing The Test

October 2014

Caleb arrived home late that Friday evening after a tiring day of meetings at his office. He never thought, at only twenty-one years old, that he would be knee deep in the corporate world. He imagined that sort of life was for men twice his age. But he knew he had chosen this path so that the love of his life could fulfill her own dreams.

When Caleb walked into their New York apartment that night, his love was nowhere to be seen. Though the abandoned book bag and shoes at the front door was a sign that she was indeed home. After kicking off his shoes next to hers, Caleb made his way to their bedroom to change into more comfortable clothes. To his surprise, he found Hanna spread out across the bed, asleep. Her body faced the foot of the bed with her head resting on an open book. A few note papers had fallen off the mattress and were now scattered across the floor.

Suddenly Caleb felt bad for complaining about a hard day at work. He could at least leave his paperwork at the office and not think about it when he came home. Hanna, however, was in the middle of her third year of college and currently studying for her mid-terms. Ever since her SAT scores had confirmed just how smart she was, Hanna was determined to excel in all of her college courses.

Caleb bent down to gather the loose paper surrounding the bed, placing them in a neat pile on the night table. He then removed his dress coat and tie before gently sitting on the side of the bed. He watched Hanna as her hair blew from in front of her face with each breath she exhaled. Her fingers still held a grip on her pencil but the messy scribble beneath her hand showed her exhaustion was a long time coming. As softly as he could, Caleb freed the object from Hanna's grasp and slid the notebook out from under her hand. Next he worked on dislodging the textbook that her head currently rested on. She stirred slightly but remained asleep as the book was removed. Caleb would wake her up eventually but for now he let her sleep. Standing up from the bed, Caleb heard the sound of something falling from the opposite side of the bed. He rounded the room to see Hanna's phone lying face down on the carpet. Seeing the unanswered text message on the screen when he picked it up gave Caleb an idea as he exited the bedroom.

Forty-five minutes later, Caleb heard rustling from the bedroom, signifying Hanna was now awake. He remained at his position in front of the stove as she emerged from the hallway, her textbook and notepad gathered in her arms. She hurried over to the kitchen island and tossed her belongings on the counter top with an exasperated sigh.

"I cannot believe I fell asleep. I don't even remember where I left off, and my notes make no sense," Hanna rambled as she perched herself on the barstool and opened her books.

She stopped and glanced around at everything scattered around her with her brow furrowed. Caleb watched as she began moving books around, looking for a certain item. "I could have sworn I just had it," Caleb heard her mumble beneath her breath. He reached forward and grabbed the yellow highlighter that had fallen in front of her large book, assuming that was what she was searching so admittedly for. He cleared his throat to gain Hanna's attention as he held the highlighter in the air.

Hanna turned her gaze back to him and let out a sigh, "Ugh, thank you." She held out her hand to retrieve it from him but Caleb pull his hand back at the last second. "Hey!"

Caleb leaned forward, placing his elbows on the marble surface. He still held the highlighter in plain view for Hanna to see. "First, you need to take a deep breath," Caleb instructed her.

She gave him a pointed look but closed her eyes and submitted to his request. When she opened her eyes again, he was leaning closer to her, a smile now gracing his lips.

"Now, you need to give me a kiss," he advised. Hanna pressed her heels against the foot bar of the stool to shift herself closer to Caleb. Hanna instantly felt her built up stress melt away when her lips met his. She could feel his hand gliding across her cheek as he pulled her face closer to his. A moan escaped from Caleb's throat and Hanna knew if she didn't pull away soon, she would get completely distracted from her studies. Hanna slowly moved her left hand to rest on Caleb's shoulder, following it down until she found his hand containing the highlighter that was held for ransom. She quickly yanked it from his grip and pulled back from him.

"That was sneaky, Hanna Marin."

Hanna shrugged with a smile, "A deal is a deal, Caleb Rivers." She took the cap off the yellow marker and turned her attention to her work in front of her as she continued, "And besides, you're still in trouble for not waking me up when you got home. You know how important it is that I pass this class."

"Yeah, I know. But you looked so peaceful and cute all sprawled out like a starfish. Not to mention the drool dripping out the side of your mouth."

Hanna rolled her eyes but her focus was still on her book, "You're not really helping your case here."

"I'm not trying to," Caleb chuckled, turning back to the stove. When he swung back around he held a plate with a grilled veggie wrap on it. "But this might help," he sat the plate to the side of her book but Hanna didn't budge. Finally having enough, Caleb placed his hand on her right hand to stop her from writing.

His gesture caused her to look up at him, slightly annoyed. He nodded towards the food and Hanna shook her head, "I'm not hungry."

Caleb moved around to the other side of the island and sat on the stool next to Hanna. He grabbed her knees and swiveled her around until she faced him. "Hanna, you have hardly eaten dinner this week because you are too busy studying. But tonight...," he reached beside her and closed her book, moving it aside and sliding the plate in its place. "... you're going to eat the delicious meal that your boyfriend cooked for you. Then you are going to get changed because you are going out for a nice, relaxing night of fun."

Hanna raised her eyebrow at Caleb, "Oh really? And where exactly are we going?"

Caleb shook his head, " _We_ are not going anywhere." A knock on the door echoed through the room and he stood up to answer it.

Hanna heard the door open from out of her sight and Caleb greeting their guest. "You're right on time. Great to see you again," Hanna could hear Caleb saying to them.

Caleb returned to the kitchen area with the new arrival right behind him. Hanna jumped off her seat when she saw who it was and immediately ran to give them a hug.

"Oh my gosh, Emily! What are you doing here?" Hanna squealed.

Emily pulled away from her friend, "Caleb didn't tell you? I took my last mid-term yesterday so I flew back home. But my mom already had plans this weekend so I thought I'd take the train up to see my favorite fashion designer."

"I am only a student right now. Still another year to go after this one," Hanna corrected her.

Emily shrugged, "Close enough. Now can I use your restroom? I've been dying for a pee since I left the train station!"

Hanna nodded and Emily hurried down the hall. Turning around, she found Caleb sitting back down at the island. Hanna strolled across the room until she stood perfectly between his legs. He situated each of his hands on her hips as her arms wrapped around his neck.

"You never give up, do you?" Hanna asked.

"Nope. One way or another I was going to get your nose out of those damn books. I promise, you this weekend I will leave you unbothered to study. But tonight, you need this."

"But what if I just need you?" Hanna questioned, sinking closer into him.

Caleb moved his hands to circle around her waist, "Then I will be here when you get back."

Hanna moved her head forward until their noses were side by side and placed a soft kiss on his lips. "I love you," she whispered.

"I love you too."

* * *

Hanna and Emily stepped out of the cab in front of _Chaos_ and made their way to the back of the entry line.

"Your outfit is totally on point tonight. Is that a Hanna Marin original?" Emily asked.

Hanna opened her coat and spun around to give her friend the full look. "Of course it is. The one and only."

Emily noticed as Hanna showed off her dress, it had caught the attention of some gentlemen in line. "Looks like I'm not the only one who loves your dress," she nodded towards the men.

Hanna turned to follow Emily's gaze and groaned, "Ugh, why do guys here have to be such creeps? That's why I usually have Caleb come with me. One look from him and they leave me alone."

"You are so lucky to have him. So, do you two come here often?"

"It's been a few months since we've had a chance to go out but this is our favorite place to go. They have a different type of party each night. One time when we came it was a Caribbean theme. You should have seen the decor."

The girls made it to the front of the line and held out their ID's for the bouncer. After they got the ok to go through, Emily linked her arm with Hanna's and they continued their conversation.

"If I had known you two haven't had a night out in a while, I wouldn't have intruded on your night. But Caleb told me it was a great idea," Emily insisted.

"I'm sure he did. He's been trying to get me to stop stressing about school. Your text gave him the perfect opportunity to make me go out. He knows that I could never say no to you or the other girls."

"And he can't say no to you, right? You would have convinced him to let you stay home." Emily laughed.

Hanna chuckled as well, "Exactly." Her smiled faded as they walked through the double doors of the crowded club and the smell of alcohol, combined with marijuana and sweat, made Hanna immediately nauseous.

"Do you guys have anything planned for your anniversary coming up soon? The infamous 1105," Emily asked. She didn't receive a response from her friend and when her body was suddenly yanked back as Hanna stopped, she turned and saw why. The blonde's face had lost a bit of color and she held her hand over her mouth.

"I think I'm going to be sick," Hanna blurted out before rushing around the corner to the women's restroom. Luckily there wasn't a line and Hanna moved right into a stall and emptied the contents of her stomach into the toilet. The taste of red peppers and zucchini coming back up her throat caused Hanna to gag even more. She remained bent over, holding herself up by her hands pressed against the toilet seat, while she waited for the wave of sickness to pass. Hanna cursed at herself, praying she hadn't caught the flu or food poisoning, though she would only have Caleb to blame for the latter. She couldn't afford to miss any days of school that next week.

When she was finally able to steady herself, Hanna approached the sink and cupped her hands under the fountain. She brought the gathered water up to her mouth to rinse away the horrible taste. The sneer from the preppy girls that stood at the other end of the sink, didn't go unnoticed by Hanna. They probably assumed she was just a lightweight that didn't know how to handle her alcohol.

Hanna made her way back into the club entrance where she found Emily right where she had abandoned her. Her friend looked back at her with a concerned look.

"I'm fine," Hanna told her, shrugging the mishap off as they walked towards the bar area.

"That didn't look fine to me. What happened?"

"I haven't eaten much all day. My stomach probably didn't agree with the spicy wrap that Caleb made me."

"You better hope that is all it is and that you're not pregnant."

Hanna's eyes grew big at Emily's theory, "God no, I'm not pregnant! I don't need that on top of being in college right now."

"You are still on the pill though, right?" Emily questioned.

"No. I got off them when we moved to New York. They started giving me migraines. Now we just stick to good, old-fashioned condoms."

"Well, as long as you are using some sort of protection, that's ok. At least you are getting some."

"Wait, what happened to Paige? I thought you two reconnected when you moved out to California?"

Emily sighed as she began to explain, "We did. But after a while, we just didn't seem to click anymore. It was like we were different people than we were in high school."

"I think we were all different people back then. I spent the first part of junior year rallying for homecoming and trying to get my holy virgin boyfriend to sleep with me," Hanna shuddered at the thought.

"And I had my sight set on being the girls' swim captain, the same as my all-star boy toy on the boys' team," Emily added.

"Sean and Ben seem like ages ago," Hanna mused.

"I know," Emily agreed. Her ears perked up when she heard the club DJ play the first few beats of _Party Rock Anthem_. "Speaking of high school," she reached out to pull Hanna towards the dance floor.

"Seriously? I just got done puking my guts out and now you want me to bump and grind?"

"Well, you're not puking now, are you? Now come on. The night is young and so are we," Emily continued to guide Hanna closer to the bouncing crowd and started to dance as well.

"Fine. But if they play Katy Perry, you better keep up with me," Hanna warned.

"Deal."

* * *

Hanna returned back to the apartment around midnight. Emily had hit it off with another girl at the club and decided to extend her evening. Though she enjoyed the time spent with Emily, Hanna was ready to finish the night with a relaxing cuddle with Caleb. From the shouting she heard coming from the living room as she entered, she knew exactly what her boyfriend was up to.

"Ugh, I swear I already killed that guy. Toby, don't go down that ravine. There is a son of a bitch hiding in the bushes," Caleb spoke into his headset.

Toby's voices resonated through the television speakers, "There is another one on top of the roof to your left. Justin, do you have any more flash bangs you can throw at them?"

Playing _Call of Duty_ had become Caleb and Toby's choice of entertainment together when they were unable to hang out in person to go fishing or drink beers. Hanna and Spencer could never understand why they would choose such violent games. Sometimes the gruesome graphics were just too much for the girls to handle.

Hanna positioned herself at the backside of the couch directly behind Caleb. She ran her hands over his collarbone and rested them just underneath the front collar of his t-shirt as she lowered down to settle her head on his shoulder, opposite his ear piece. Tilting her head, she touched her lips to his jawline and took her time before removing them.

Caleb's Adam's apple bobbed when he swallowed deeply at the sudden physical contact. "I'll be right back, guys," he spoke into the microphone, then brought his right hand up to press the mute button on his headset, though the others' chatter could still be heard. He dropped the controller in his lap before turning his body to return Hanna's gesture properly. "You're home early."

"Is that a bad thing?" she perched herself on the back of the couch and pulled her leg up to zip her heeled boots that were currently killing her feet.

Caleb shook his head, looking up at her, "No. I just thought you guys would be dancing the night away. Maybe bust out your fake ID's and have a few drinks, rob a bank. You know, a typical Hanna Marin night on the town."

"I think you and your bromate have been playing too much _GPA."_

"Babe, I think you mean _GTA._ Grand _Theft_ Auto _._ " Caleb corrected her, turning his focus back on the still muted game.

"Whatever it's called," Hanna rolled her eyes and sunk backwards into the couch beside Caleb. Her head landed slightly off the edge of the cushion with her hair trailing to the floor. The short dress she wore rode up as she lowered down, leaving her legs fully exposed as they rested by Caleb's shoulder. "Anyway, Emily caught the attention of one of the girls in the band so I told her it was ok for them to go off and do their own thing. We're going to just meet up for lunch tomorrow."

Caleb listened while Hanna recapped her evening, going into detail about what Emily had been up to lately in Malibu. Feeling her shift beside him, Caleb broke his gaze from the tv and watched as Hanna repositioned her legs to uncross them, his eyes traveling down her tanned skin, catching a glimpse of her red, lace panties.

Hanna took notice of his wandering eyes and decided to tease him more. Though there wasn't much space between the two of them, she moved her hips closer and pressed her bare thigh against his arm. Caleb's hand moved from the controller, disappearing down by his side. It didn't take long for her to discover where it had went to when she felt his palm at the top of her thigh, his thumb dipping under the fabric at her center. She knew what he was trying to accomplish and was more than pleased to give him what he wanted. Hanna moved her hand over his and guided his fingers to grip the lace as her right hand worked the other side, solo.

He met her gaze, a cheeky grin appearing on her face as she opened her legs wider before she lifted her hips and slid her panties up over her ankles, flicking them out of sight. Voices could be heard echoing through the tv from Toby and the other player wondering why Caleb had stopped participating in the mission.

Hanna lowered her legs from the back of the couch and rotated her body until she was sitting on her knees, facing Caleb. She leaned forward, grabbing the controller out of his hands and tossed it on the coffee table. With his lap now empty, Hanna moved to occupy it and placed her knees around him. Her hands held tight to the side of Caleb's head, demanding control.

"What do you think you're doing?" He asked, though it was more of a rhetorical question as her eyes were dark with lust, waiting for his next move.

"I'm giving you a new mission to complete," Hanna replied as she brought her mouth to his, capturing his bottom lip between her swollen ones.

"And what if I choose not to accept?" Caleb teased.

"Then I guess I will have to punish you."

Before either of them could contemplate their next move, Toby's voice erupted from the forgotten game, "Um guys, I don't think we really need to be hearing this."

Caleb sat up quickly as the realization hit him and he yanked off his headset, "Shit!"

Hanna turned to the tv and back to Caleb, trying to understand, "What just happened?"

He hit the off button on the earpiece and laid them on the end table beside them. "Toby and the guys just heard us making out and I'm pretty sure you just gave some twelve-year-old boy his first boner." Caleb laughed.

Hanna covered her face in embarrassment. She knew this incident would be added to the list of things their friends would never let them live down, including what had happened in the Hastings' cabin back in high school.

"What do you say we move this into the bedroom, away from the audience?" Caleb suggested.

Happily obliging, Hanna lifted herself from his lap. Caleb stood after her and removed his shirt. He tossed it behind him as he was pulled down the hallway. The couple didn't hesitate to continue where they had left off. Hanna wrapped her limbs around Caleb's body while he mounted the bed. He forcefully made is way to the top of the bed, pulling Hanna along underneath him. Her grip held tightly to his neck, guaranteeing that their lips never broke contact. Caleb continued to press up against her as they reached the headboard. The impact of his body caused Hanna's small frame to move up the metal railing into a more vertical position. With her knees now entrapping Caleb's biceps, he ran his hand underneath her. They curved along the inside crease of her trembling thighs and made their way up to the hem of her dress. As he pushed the garment up her body, his hands followed its path, gliding over her skin that was starting to dampen in the heated moment. He paused as he reached her breasts and noticed the absence of her bra. The lack of covering was pleasing to him as he wouldn't have to waste time undressing his girlfriend more.

Caleb finished guiding Hanna's dress over her head but his focus did not follow. Instead, his lips remained thirsty for the plump flesh across her chest. His mouth connected with her warm skin as he felt Hanna's heart rate rise and her breath becoming heavy. Her fingers were intertwined with his, pressed firmly into the mattress at her side. "I need you now," she spoke, barely audible from her intense breathing. Caleb understood, pulling back and reaching toward the nightstand for a condom. Using the space now between them, Hanna quickly began working the button and zipper of Caleb's jeans. He helped her push them down to his knees that he rested on and after slipping on the rubber, he moved to hover over her once again. With his weight now held by his arms, Hanna used her feet to move Caleb's pants and boxers down to his heels where he kicked them to the floor. Her feet remained tangled around his calves but as soon as she felt him enter her, Hanna's body tightened and her legs instinctively pulled closer around his waist. The moan that was escaping through her lips was cut off when Caleb covered her mouth with his own.

Each time he rode deeper into her, Caleb felt Hanna's grip around him become stronger. Sometimes the pushing and pulling between them was so intense, Caleb felt as though they could easily mold into one another. It was a pleasure they had endured many times together yet every time was just as erotic and exhilarating as the first time a little over five years ago.

* * *

Hanna was awake extremely early the next morning. Technically though, she had never fully fell asleep. After their moment of intimacy had subsided and the pair had laid embraced in their slumber, Caleb had fallen asleep quickly but Hanna had been woken up when her phone began to vibrate. It was a text from Emily letting Hanna know that she made it back to her hotel fine. Emily also added that she hoped she was feeling better after her unexpected rush to the bathroom. Though Hanna had told Emily there was no chance of her being pregnant, she had spent the first part of the night trying to convince herself that her statement was true.

The second part of the night, Hanna found it harder to deny the truth when she scrolled through the calendar on her phone and found she was actually 10 days late for her period. She remembered her previous one had been over Labor Day weekend while she and Caleb were visiting Rosewood. She was supposed to go out with the girls and watch fireworks, instead she ended up spending the evening with a hot water bottle. Hanna still kept hope that her missing her period was just due to the stress she was under with her schooling.

Hanna had moved to the couch when the sun began to rise as to not wake Caleb and anxiously waited until the pharmacy down on the corner opened. When the living room clock struck seven, Hanna grabbed her coat and purse and quietly made her way out the door. When she arrived in the store, she was grateful that not many people shopped so early on a weekend. It was less of a chance that she would run into someone she knew. Hanna wandered down the center aisle until she spotted the sign pointing to the intimate care section. Seeing the placement of condoms next to the pregnancy tests caused Hanna to laugh through the irony. Quickly, she grabbed the brand she had seen frequently on commercials. Making her way up to the register, Hanna braced herself for the expected judgement from the cashier.

The older woman standing behind the counter looked up as Hanna approached the register and handed her the pink box. Glenda, her name tag read, smiled when she looked at what Hanna was purchasing.

"Oh, a baby," she gushed. "Another one of God's beautiful creations. Will this be your first?"

Hanna was taken aback by the stranger's very personal inquiry. She was still trying to gather up courage to talk about it to Caleb, let alone someone she didn't even know.

Glenda noticed Hanna's surprised expression, "Oh, I am sorry dear. You'll have to forgive my nosiness, I just love children. Me and my husband have five children who have gave us eight grandchildren, and even two great-grandchildren. I know what you are thinking, I don't look old enough to be a great-grandmother. Well, we got married after we graduated high school and started our family right away. I was lucky that my husband had a great job and was able to support the family while I stayed home and raised our kids."

The older woman spoke with such pride and happiness in her voice that Hanna felt guilty for not giving the woman some sort of response.

"Your family sounds wonderful," Hanna replied, trying to do best to hide the awkwardness she was feeling. She reached into her purse and retrieved a twenty-dollar bill that she then passed to Glenda.

The cashier handed her back her change, "Thank you my dear. I hope you and your husband get the good news you've been waiting for."

"Thanks - I mean - no we're not… – Um, you know what, I have to get going," Hanna grabbed the bag containing the pregnancy test and swiftly headed towards the exit. Her pace quickened as she walked along the sidewalk back to the apartment. Having the test in her hand and being one step closer to finding out the result was almost too much for Hanna to handle. By the time she had reached the front entrance to their building, Hanna's hands were shaking from her nerves. She pulled out her keys and tried to calm her trembling fingers in order to unlock the large door. After waiting for what seemed to be forever for the elevator to take her to the fourth floor, Hanna finally arrived at the door of her apartment.

Suddenly, she was frozen in place. She knew that if she opened the door to their living room, both hers and Caleb's lives would be changed forever. If the test was positive, they would be bringing a baby into a world that the couple was still trying to figure out for themselves. But if the test turned up negative, it would force her to reveal to Caleb her insecurities about their future together. She hadn't even thought of how she was going to approach him about the situation or how he was even going to react. Hanna had never been able to keep a secret from him and though part of her wanted to take the test alone, she knew she needed him by her side when the results were revealed.

Finally mustering up the courage, Hanna pushed the door open and entered their apartment. It didn't appear to her that Caleb was awake yet. She wanted to store the pregnancy test in the bathroom cabinet until she had a chance to bring the subject up to Caleb, hopefully sooner rather than later. Stuck in her thoughts as she made her way down the hall, Hanna didn't notice the sound of running water coming from the bathroom or the fact the light was already on. She stopped in her tracks in the doorway when she came face-to-face with Caleb. The smell of his aftershave hit her nostrils full force.

"You're awake," Hanna exclaimed.

Caleb stood at the bathroom mirror in the process of brushing his teeth. He spat the sudsy contents of his mouth into the sink before responding, "Well it's hard to sleep in on a Saturday when someone isn't in bed to enjoy it with you," he teased.

"Sorry. I had to run an errand," she explained.

Caleb tossed his toothbrush into the cup beside the sink and moved closer to Hanna. He brought his hand up and pressed the back of it to her forehead. Caleb then tilted her face towards him looking as though he was searching for imperfection.

"What are you doing?"

"Running errands at seven in the morning? On a Saturday? Are you feeling alright?" He brought his fingers up to his chin and thought for a moment, "You're not running a fever and you're not sporting a weird rash, so who are you and what have you done with my girlfriend?"

Hanna laughed at Caleb's quirkiness but the joy only lasted a few seconds before her mouth began to fill with saliva, reminding her of the real reason she was up that early and she rushed around Caleb to the toilet to vomit.

He was immediately by her side and rubbed her shoulder. It worried him to see her like this. During her previous semesters of college Hanna had always pushed herself hard but never to the point of exhaustion or making herself sick. If she was this stressed after three years of school, Caleb feared what it would be like during her final year when the fight for the best internships began.

Caleb grabbed a towel off the counter and passed it to Hanna when he knew she was done throwing up. He watched her as she shifted her position away from the toilet and sank down to the floor with her back against the wall. She ran her hands through the top of her hair and began to break down. Caleb moved to sit in between her outstretched legs and placed a comforting hand on her thigh.

"I don't think I can do this," Hanna sobbed.

"Baby, I am so proud of how well you have done so far but no one said you have to get perfect grades. Designers will care more about your portfolio than whether or not you passed History of Color."

Hanna threw her hands down to her side, "I'm not talking about school, Caleb!"

"Then what are you talking about? Han, what is going on?"

Hanna glanced behind Caleb, searching for the pharmacy bag that she had dropped during her dash to the toilet. She spotted it just to the left of where Caleb sat. He looked back at her as he picked up the sack and she nodded as permission for him to look inside. The box that he pulled out was not something he was expecting. Of course, he had always thought of having children with Hanna in the future but he never thought of the future as now.

"Oh," was all he could say as his brain was still processing the package he held in his hand. "Um, are - are you sure?"

Hanna stood up quickly and reached down to yank the box from his grip. "No, I'm not sure. That's why I bought the fucking test!"

Caleb's head shot up at her sudden outburst. "I'm sorry, I don't exactly know what the right thing to say is," he said as he rose up off the floor.

"And you think I do? Do you think I want to be a mom at twenty years old, to drop out of school and throw away my dreams of being a designer?" she spat back.

"What makes you think I am going to let you do this on your own? You should know by now that I am with you no matter what."

"Do I know that?" she questioned. "Have you even been paying attention to our family history? The fathers leave, that's just what they do. Why should we be any different?"

"Hanna -"

"Just get out. I need to go pee on a stick, if you don't mind."

"Fine. I'll be in the living room," Caleb huffed as he left the bathroom, shutting the door behind him.

Caleb walked back into the main room and sat on the sofa only to stand back up less than a minute later. He was too nervous to stay still. It had just been him and Hanna for the past two years. No curfews, no rules, and no boundaries. And with the results of that one test, the rules could all change.

What Hanna had said about his family history did scare Caleb a little. He never knew what it was like to grow up in a loving family. There was no one around him to show what a good father was supposed to do. He was grateful to have his parents in his life now but he would never have that bond with them like Hanna had with her mom.

Caleb wandered over to the bookshelf and picked up a frame. In the gold frame was a picture of Ashley Marin holding a little Hanna at only two months old. If anyone represented what a loving parent was supposed to be, it was Ashley. She did her best to make sure her daughter was taken care of. Even if it meant stealing from a bank to be able to support her family. Though that wasn't her finest hour, the reasoning behind it was what mattered. When Caleb came into the picture, Ashley was a little hesitant to let Hanna hang around him, but once she got to know him, she treated him as her own child.

Caleb heard the toilet flush and moments later, Hanna emerged from the bathroom. She kept her head lowered as she walked right past Caleb and sat on the far end of the couch. She pulled her sweater tighter around her and curled her legs up to her chest. It hurt Caleb to see her look so small and broken.

He walked near to where she sat but hesitated, not knowing if she would shove him away. When she didn't flinch at his presence, Caleb sat on the coffee table in front of her. Hanna avoided his gaze but it didn't stop the tears from coming once again. She used the sleeve of her shirt to wipe the moisture from her cheek. Caleb captured her hand as she brought it back down and was relieved when she didn't pull away. They both stared down at their intertwined fingers until Hanna's voice broke the silence.

"I'm sorry, Caleb. I didn't mean the things I said," she spoke as she choked down her cries.

Caleb moved from his place in front of her to the empty cushion beside Hanna.

He wrapped his arm around her shoulder and pulled her into his side. His other hand enveloped her from the front as he held her legs against her.

"Shhh. You have nothing to apologize for. I know you're scared, we both are. But we will get through it together. I'm not going anywhere, I promise," he attempted to console her.

Hanna's cries started to die down as she laid in his embrace. She adjusted her head so it rested on Caleb's warm chest. "I know. It's just the things that Glenda said. I didn't want to end up like her."

"Glenda? The good witch from The Wizard of Oz?" Caleb asked, confused.

Hanna rose up from his chest, "No, from the drug store on the corner. She said that she and her husband had five kids and she had to stay at home and do the cooking and cleaning while he worked all day."

"Is she the lady at the front of the store with the funky red glasses?"

Hanna nodded.

Caleb continued, "Babe, she is like sixty years old. She raised her family in a completely different generation than us. There is no rule that says you can't have a career and kids."

"But what about my schooling? And the apartment, will we have enough room for a baby? And then there's the fact that kids add more expenses and -."

Caleb held his hand up to silence his girlfriend. "One step at a time. Let's make sure whether the test is positive or not and then we will figure out the rest."

"But what if I can't handle it?"

"I know you can and do you know why?" He asked but Hanna shook her head. Caleb reached to the table where he previously sat, grabbing the picture frame and handing it to her, "Because of this woman right here. She raised you to be smart, kind, independent, and someone she can be proud of. And I have no doubt you have it in you to do the same for our child."

Caleb lifted his hand from her shoulder and ran it through her hair as he placed a kiss on her forehead. She turned her head to look up at him and he pressed another kiss onto her lips.

Hanna looked back down at the photo she held in her hand. Her finger lingered on the younger version of herself.

"I think our little girl would be just as gorgeous as her mother," Caleb whispered in her ear.

She moved her fingers to the bottom right of the frame that held a much smaller photo in front of the glass, one that had been held safely in a wallet until three years ago, "And our little boy would be just as handsome as his daddy."

The timer rang from down the hall signifying that the test was ready. Caleb pulled the frame from Hanna's grasp, placing it beside him and taking her now vacant hands in his, "Are you ready?"

Hanna took a deep breath, unsure if she would ever truly be ready. But knowing that Caleb would stick to his word and be by her side was all the reassurance she needed. Hanna nodded and followed Caleb into the bathroom.

The test still laid right where she had left it on the counter. The small screen faced upwards displaying the results but were not yet visible from the couple's position in the doorway. Caleb gently squeezed Hanna's hand as they entered the room together. She released her hold on his and moved ahead of him to the counter to retrieve the test.

With her back still towards him, Caleb watched her reflection through the mirror, hoping to get a glimpse of her reaction. He saw her tightly press her lips together and close her eyes. He couldn't quite tell from her facial expression if she was accepting of the answer she was given.

Hanna's shoulder rose up and lowered again as she inhaled deeply and turned around, her eyes still looking down at the test in her hand. When she finally looked up and met her gaze with his, Caleb could see that fear and uncertainty had filled her eyes once again.

Without saying a word, Caleb extended his arm out and pulled Hanna into his embrace. She turned her head towards the mirror and witnessed the image staring back at her. There she stood, wrapped in the arms of a man that had remained by her side since she was sixteen years old and had given her strength to prevail when she had felt as though she had to give. The positive pregnancy test she held in her hand was just one more obstacle they had to overcome. And they would do just that … Together.


End file.
